Nekoyasha
by Wallcrawler86
Summary: COMPLETED. Miroku's blundering has made Inuyasha and Kagome half-cat! Now, they must fight off Sesshoumaru, lava filled caves, and Kagome's finals if they hope to find the cure and return to normal. Inuyasha Kagome, action, comedy, romance
1. Cats, Dogs, and Annoying Brothers

Nekoyasha  
An Inuyasha Fan Fiction  
Original idea and plot by Wallcrawler86 and SolAerin  
Typed by Wallcrawler86  
  
Note: I do not own any of the wonderful, adorable, and extremely well portrayed characters in Inuyasha. The only thing I'm in possession of is  
the original plot as seen in this fiction. All rights otherwise go to  
Rumiko Takahashi. Can I still get some doggy ears? Pretty please?  
  
This is my third fiction ever, so it may not be so good. My previous fictions include two Card Captor Sakura fictions, one being the sequel to the first. Seven Years is here: fanfiction.net / read.php ? storyid = 631398 (Just delete the spaces)  
  
Read it if you so like. It's not so great at first, as it was my first fiction, but it does improve, or so I've been told. It's a long read, though. If you love to read long, long stories, and you like Shoujo, check it out.  
  
Now, for this story. This isn't going to be some huge, plot-altering story that would forever change Inuyasha forever. Think of this as an extra episode. Something that could have taken place in-between episodes. I just hope you enjoy it.  
  
Also note: I usually have a loyal and wonderful friend of mine edit my chapters for mistakes in grammar and plot. Unfortunately, she is a very busy girl, what with translating other fictions, plenty of summer reading, and general chaos. So, sadly, she wasn't able to help with this first chapter yet. She should be able to help fix it up someday, but she's done so much for me, time to give her a break. If you spot ANY problems at all with my fiction, want to complain, either review (which would be appreciated) or send any and all suggestions, corrections, and death threats to wallcrawler86@aol.com  
  
I would also like to thank my editor for helping me write this fiction, which originally started out as a small Inuyasha RP online using AIM. I've rewritten it, added things, made corrections, but if not for her, this story would not be here today. Thank you. ::hugs her::  
  
Also note, I'll be using a combination of English and Japanese. Sometimes from the sub, sometimes from the dub. Some attacks I don't know the English or Japanese word for, so they are interchangeable.  
  
For example: Osuwari = Sit Ototo-chan = Little brother Iron Reaver Soul Stealer = That attack Inuyasha uses where he throws his claws at an enemy. I do not know it's original, less cheesy name. Baka = Idiot, fool (As in, "Baka onna!" (Stupid girl)) Hanyou = Half-demon Youkai = Full-demon  
  
And now, enough stalling, onto the story!  
  
Chapter 1: Cats, Dogs, and Annoying Brothers  
  
"Ugh! Finally."  
  
A math book slammed shut and a young girl swirled her chair around tiredly. She put her fingers through her long, black hair and sighed. "I hate finals. So much studying."  
  
Kagome grabbed her book and stuffed it in her bag before finishing the quarter full glass of milk sitting beside her. Next, collapsing onto her bed, she thought aloud, "And ending up in a world filled with demons and monsters hasn't exactly made it any easier to concentrate on my studies. I'll be lucky if I even pass, little alone do well."  
  
She sat up and stared at her red coat on her chair. It reminded her of Inuyasha's robes. "Inuyasha. it's been a while since I've seen you, what with all this studying. Then again, you're probably just lazing around, bored half to death, like always, picking on poor Shippou-chan."  
  
"KAGOME! DINNER!" screamed Kagome's mother from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"HAI!" The girl replied routinely.  
  
After dinner, she helped put away the dishes with her brother Sota. However, as she place the dishes away, she noticed he kept staring at her whenever her back was turned. "All right, what's going on? Why do you keep looking at me like that?" she finally asked.  
  
"Errr... no reason!" he replied with a look of horror.  
  
"Hmph..." the girl said, suspicious of her sibling's sincerity in response. "Anyway, I'm beat. I think I'll just go watch some TV then go to sleep. I swear, these finals are going to be the end of me..."  
  
"I just... I have to tell you... I've.... I've always loved you.... from the moment I first laid my eyes on you.... but... I could never bring myself to tell you..."  
  
"I... I... I have a confession as well... I, too, have always been madly in love with you.... but... I tried to deny it... to hide it.... and I pushed you away... but the more I pushed, the more obvious it became..."  
  
Kagome sighed. "I can't believe the only thing that's ever on TV anymore is sappy romance comedy anime..." She lifted the remote and shut off the TV. "Oh, and Sota, you can't stop trying to be so sneaky. I know you're there, so just come on out."  
  
The boy reluctantly entered the room, his head facing the floor in embarrassment. "How long did you know I was there?"  
  
"Since you first got there and knocked my coat on the floor. You're no secret agent, that's for sure." She got off the couch and approached the boy. "Now, tell me, what's so interesting about me today? Ever since mom went to bed after dinner you've been looking at me strange. I won't buy that 'nothing' junk. What's so weird?"  
  
Sota looked at the ground, deciding whether or not to talk. "Err... do you promise not to freak out?"  
  
Kagome stared her brother down, striking fear in his heart. "All right, what did you do? I'll only promise THAT after I see this a decide if I should or shouldn't."  
  
Sota gave a sigh in defeat. "Well... I don't know if you'd even believe if I told you... so, maybe you should see for yourself. So... errr... why don't you turn around and look in the mirror?"  
  
Kagome seemed panicked. "Oh, please don't let it be a pimple... that's the LAST thing I need to worry about right now!" She slowly turned, praying that her fears were not true, but only prolonging the pain. "Please.... please..." She saw her reflection in the mirror and gave a sigh of relief. "Whew... no pimple, no blemish, same old looking eyes, lips, cat ears..." She turned back to Sota. "What's the big.... deal... ab--" She turned quickly back to the mirror and her eyes grew, while her pupils shrank.  
  
"C-C-Cat ears?!"  
  
She let out a blood-curdling scream that caused her younger brother to fall to his knees, covering his ears. "What is going on here?! Look at me!" She stared back into the mirror. Indeed, upon her head, her normal ears were no longer there, and a pair of black-furred ears of a cat were on the top of her head. "I look more like Inuyasha than myself!"  
  
Sota shook his head. "That's not true. Inuyasha doesn't have a tail," he added.  
  
Kagome froze in her tracks. Her face turned a dark blue in fear. "C-could you repeat that last line, p-please?" she asked politely.  
  
"Errr... sis, perhaps you'd better look behind you..." He pointed to the girl's reflection.  
  
This time, Kagome only turned her head and stared. "A... A... A CAT'S TAIL?! ARGH!"  
  
"Kagome? Sota? Is everything all right down there?" Their mothered yelled to them from the top of the stairs.  
  
"Errr.. h-hai, we're fine," Kagome replied in her calmest voice. "The screaming was just from TV, and we turned that down."  
  
"Okay!" her mother said from atop the stairs. "As long as you're both okay..." The sound of her steps drifting back to her room came over there heads.  
  
"However," Kagome began," We're both not 'all right...'" she said in a deep voice to her younger sibling. If looks could kill, Sota would have died at least 5 times by then. She grabbed the long, black, and furry tail that swayed from under her skirt. "Now, Sota, it's not normal for a girl to have this. Any idea HOW I got it, and why you wouldn't tell me sooner? And perhaps you'd like to explain why I have the sneaking suspicion you had something to do with this? Nyao..." She covered her mouth in embarrassment at making the cat sound. However, she quickly regained her composure and anger, and got back to the questioning. Her brother seemed rather scared and embarrassed by it all. "So, what do you know?"  
  
The boy laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, errr... this may sound crazy, but... uhhh... it's not ENTIRELY my fault, and it wasn't my idea!"  
  
"I have the feeling this will be a long story..." Kagome thought to herself.  
  
"Well... err... first, did you happen to eat or drink anything out of the ordinary in the last hour or so?" questioned her brother.  
  
Kagome put a finger to her chin and thought. "Let's see... all I think I had was a glass of water with dinner... unless... Wait, I did have a glass of milk when I was studying. But what does..."  
  
Sota slapped his own face. "Oh, darn it, now I understand!"  
  
"Understand what?" Kagome asked, her anger seemingly turning more into curiosity and paranoia. "Is it something dangerous?"  
  
Sota shook his head. "No, it's just... that WASN'T a glass of milk... It was something I was storing for Miroku!"  
  
Kagome blinked. "Miroku? What do you mean? How would you...?"  
  
Sota tried to answer as best as he could. "Well, the other day, while you were still getting home from school, Inuyasha showed up in the house. He said Miroku asked him to bring a few things to our world. He had 'borrowed,' as Inuyasha put it grouchily, a few potions from an old merchant, and wanted to keep a few samples fresh. So..."  
  
"He figured we could use a fridge here, nyao..." said Kagome, finishing his sentence.  
  
"Yep... And I think you drank one of those potions instead of milk, like you thought it was..."  
  
Kagome grabbed her brother's hand and started to drag him out the door. The boy dragged his feet, pulling back in shock. "Wait, where are we going?" he asked.  
  
"To meet Miroku in person. Right now!" The cat-girl screamed furiously, not taking her eyes off the path to the well.  
  
"Wait, I'M coming, too?!" Sota asked in fright. "But there are demons and monsters!"  
  
Kagome turned, knelt down, and stared into his eyes with pure fury. WELL, OTOTO-CHAN... if it weren't for YOU putting dangerous chemicals of unknown origins in the fridge, nyao, right next to the food it resembles, I wouldn't look like such a freak right now!"  
  
Sota rolled his eyes and looked away from his sister. "When you look at me like that, it's not the ears or tail that make you look like a freak..." he whispered.  
  
Kagome glared again, grabbing and turning his head back to her. "I... heard... that...." Kagome's tail stood straight on end in anger. "Well, it doesn't mater whose fault it. You're coming with me in any case. I have finals soon! I can't go to school looking like this!"  
  
"Well... errr..." Sota mumbled, trying to find a loophole. "I doubt I can be of much use, so, tell you what, why don't I just go get 'Jii-chan and--" By this point, Kagome grabbed her brother's arm and was dragging him towards the ancient well. "HEY! NO! WAIT!" Kagome dragged him down the stairs to the well, leapt, and dragged her screaming brother down the well with her, off to the past.  
  
A tree fell in the distance, late in the night.  
  
"HEY! Watch it! You're going to kill someone if you keep acting like that, Inuyasha! AUGH!" Shippou tried to reason with the hotheaded hanyou, but he didn't listen, and more trees nearly fell on the poor kitsune as Inuyasha swung his claws wildly.  
  
"I must agree with Shippou," said Miroku. "You're overreacting, Inuyasha. Calm down!"  
  
Inuyasha snarled. "OVERREACTING?" He raised his claws. "I'LL SHOW YOU OVERREACTING!" He leapt forward, poised to attack. "IRON REAVER SO--"  
  
"SIT, BOY!"  
  
The beads around Inuyasha's neck began to glow before he could finish announcing his attack, and they pulled with an Earth-shattering force, sending the irate hanyou a half-meter into the ground.  
  
"I-I-Itai..." The hanyou whimpered in pain.  
  
"All right, Inuyasha, why are you so angry THIS time?" Kagome asked, walking onto the scene. "Whatever the reason, you can't take it out like that. You could have seriously hurt someone!" "Kagome!" Shippou leaped into Kagome's arms and hugged her. "Thank goodness you're here! Miroku did something to Inuyasha and he started to freak out and destroy anything in his path!"  
  
Miroku laughed nervously. "Well... errr... It's not so much my fault as it is his... Eh? And... Kagome, is there something... different about you? You look different... but it's hard to see in this darkness."  
  
Kagome blushed and looked away. "It's... errr.... nothing... Now, let's see what's making Inuyasha so irritable." She knelt down beside the small crater where the hanyou lay. "EHHH?!" She exclaimed. She lifted up a strand of the hanyou's hair, only... it was dark black. "Inuyasha, you're HUMAN again?" She looked up into the sky. There was a crescent moon above, shimmering brilliantly. "Wait... but it's not a new moon..." She lifted the nearly knocked out boy's head and pushed back his hair. "Huh? And where are your human ears? Come to think of it, how could you use your claws if you are human?"  
  
Inuyasha sat up, shaking his head back to its senses. "That's because I'm still half-demon, you stupid girl! I just... Err..." His cheeks turned red. "It's nothing!"  
  
"Inuyasha, you can't hide anything from me! What is it?" Kagome demanded to know.  
  
"NOTHING, NYAO!" The boy covered his mouth in embarrassment.  
  
"W-what was that?" Asked Sota, finally overcoming his fear.  
  
Inuyasha began to sweat. "N-nothing! This is so STUPID! I'm out of here!" He turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" Kagome demanded, throwing her arm around to grab him. "You're not going..." She grabbed along, black thing coming from his back. "Any...where... YAH! WHAT'S THAT?!" Inuyasha continued to try and walk, but Kagome had a death grip on whatever she held, and he fell over. A light came from the woods and illuminated the area. It was Kaede carrying a torch. "What seems to be causing all the ruckus?" Inuyasha sat up and stared at Kagome. He saw her tail and ears... and Kagome noticed the tail sticking out the back of Inuyasha's robes. "YOU, TOO, NYAO?!" They simultaneously asked.  
  
Back in the hut of Kaede...  
  
"...So, I was just down by the lake, trying to catch some fish with my bare hands," explained Inuyasha, "When I looked in the river, and noticed my hair was black. But it was only sunset, and it wasn't supposed to be a new moon that night, nyao... Argh! God Dammit, I can't stop saying that! NYAO! I noticed my tail then... And that's when I knew it could have only been one person..."  
  
Kagome focused her eyes on a certain monk, looking away, innocently, in an attempt to deny any guilt in the situation. "Miroku, nyao! I also suspect him... but my little brother here is not exactly innocent, either."  
  
Sota yelled, though meekly, in retort, "But it was a total accident! And Inuyasha was the one who gave THEM to me..."  
  
Kaede stepped in, acting as a mediator. "What is the 'them' of which you speak?"  
  
Inuyasha held up a small, empty flask. "Whatever was in these bottles. All I know is Miroku comes up to me and says he found them somewhere, meaning he probably stole them..."  
  
"I resent that!" Miroku said in defense. "I am not a thief. As a monk, I refuse to stoop to such low levels."  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "Whatever. 'Earned' them, then, from some old man who, by coincidence, needed a monk to perform an exorcism. In any case, he just told me to find a place to put them to keep them fresh. Said something about it could be a potion to make people or demons stronger or faster. So, that's when I remembered Kagome telling about that... box thing that keeps things cold..."  
  
"A fridge." Said Sota.  
  
"Right. Well, anyway, I went to give them to Kagome to keep for me, but she wasn't there, so this little bugger..." Inuyasha rubbed Sota's head, "took them for me."  
  
Kagome continued the story. "Well, I was up late reading, and decided to get a glass of milk... so, I got one, but, according to my ever so considerate OTOTO-CHAN WHO NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT THIS, what I drank was actually the potion. That's how I got THESE, NYAO!" Kagome grabbed her ears and tail.  
  
Inuyasha finished his half. "Well, I couldn't wait to find out what the potions did, so I stole one off of Miroku the other day... and..."  
  
"You soon found yourself to be half-cat demon rather than half-dog demon," analyzed Kaede.  
  
"Yeah, that's right, hag." He raised his claws and aimed them at Miroku. "And now, I think it's time we punished the real culprit here!"  
  
Kagome threw herself between Inuyasha and Miroku, her hands raised in protest. "WAIT, NYAO! Miroku hasn't had a chance to defend himself yet! We can't punish-- EEK!"  
  
Kagome's face reddened as Miroku stood behind her. "Mmmm... the tail's so soft, though, nearly as soft as the rest of you..." Miroku had his hand firmly planted on Kagome's butt.  
  
Kagome leapt forward into Inuyasha's arms. "Never mind, nyao! Kill him, kill him, kill him!"  
  
Inuyasha snarled. "You lecherous idiot! I'll... on second thought..." Inuyasha backed down. he tilted his head towards Kagome. "Give me your hand."  
  
"Eh? What for?"  
  
"Just do it."  
  
Kagome placed her hand in Inuyasha's. "Now, Kagome, just pull back like this..." Inuyasha pushed down on the center of Kagome's palm with his thumb and her fingernails suddenly extended, like a cat extending its claws. Her nails also seemed more durable and sharp. "There. See, today, when I was going berserk at Shippou and Miroku, I noticed for a minute that my claws could retract." He demonstrated for Kagome, as his claws changed back and forth from his demon claws to normal, human-like fingernails. "I just figured that meant you must have claws, too."  
  
Kagome stared at her new claws, then at Miroku, smiling. She turned to Inuyasha. "Why, thank you, Inuyasha! This will be very useful for now."  
  
A minute later...  
  
Miroku sat, sighing, with three long cuts on his cheek. He thought to himself, "Ahhh, it was still worth it..." He stood up and finally decided to defend himself. "Well, now, those are very nice stories, but it makes it sound very much my fault."  
  
Kagome glared. "That's because it IS your fault!"  
  
Miroku coughed. "Perhaps I should explain my actions, then. You see, the other day, I was on a walk through the woods for no apparent reason. when I stumbled upon this small cottage. A modest old man lived there with his young daughter. I saw a billowing black cloud forming overhead, when a ferocious demon with black wings flew down, trying to destroy the house. I released my kazaana on it, sucking the demon in. The man offered me anything, money, workers, his daughter, but I refused. He at least recommended I take some of the potions he was working on that could increase a person or demon's abilities."  
  
Shippou stood up and hopped on Kagome's head. "That's funny, Miroku, I was with you the whole time and I don't remember it being quite like that."  
  
"SHHHH!" Miroku tried to silence the kitsune before he leaked what really happened.  
  
Kagome picked up Shippou, smiled, and said, "Oh, Shippou, you remember it differently? Go ahead."  
  
Shippou hopped down onto the center of the floor and sat down. "Well, if I'm right, the house wasn't so much a small cottage as it was a huge mansion. And Miroku didn't really see a black cloud, so much as he first saw the daughter of the old man. He said something to the old man about sensing evil around there and that he would protect his daughter."  
  
Inuyasha grinned. "Now that sounds like the Miroku we know."  
  
Shippou continued. "Well, the old man said he could stay, but when Miroku tried to get too close to the daughter for some reason, the old man threw him out and tossed some old bottles filled with some goop at him. The bottles had some sort of label about having great powers on them. And that's all I remember."  
  
There was a prolonged period of silence.  
  
"Well. those two tales seem to be in great conflict." said Kaede. "Perhaps we should."  
  
"LET ME GET HIM! IT'S ALL HIS PERVERTED FAULT! NYAO!" Kagome reached after Miroku, as Shippou and Inuyasha tried to pin her down.  
  
"Kagome, stop, you can't kill him!" Shippou said, trying to hold the girl back.  
  
Miroku pressed himself against a wall, sweating. "Th-thank you, Inuyasha. I just never expected you to come to my defense."  
  
Inuyasha glared at him. "Who said I was defending you? I just don't want Kagome to be the only one to pound you, nyao!"  
  
Miroku sighed. "I should have known better."  
  
Sango walked into the hut, carrying a group of grasses. "Lady Kaede, I found those. herbs. you." She noticed the cat version of Kagome being held down by a rather odd looking Inuyasha and Shippou, while Miroku was pressed against a wall, scratches all over his face. Kaede was trying to restore order among all of this, while Sota just stood in a corner, trying not to get crushed in the fray. "Perhaps I should come back later."  
  
Kagome stopped and turned to Sango. "Eh? Oh, Sango, I'm glad you're here!" She pointed to Miroku. "Thanks to him, I look some sort of. freak! He gave me these eras and tail!"  
  
Sango stood silent. She leaned forward and examined Kagome's head. She rubbed her ears. Kagome blushed. "H-hey! What are you doing? This is no time for that!" She sighed. "Then again, now I know what Inuyasha goes through when I do that." she though to herself.  
  
Sango thought for a moment, then attempted to comfort her. "That's not so bad, Kagome. It is obviously a spell, but it doesn't look so powerful. I know of a sorceress in training that could probably remove that for you."  
  
Kagome's eyes lit up. "Did you hear that, Sota? We can fix this!"  
  
Sota sighed in relief. "So, I'm off the hook?"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "Not by a long shot." The boy sighed and hung his head.  
  
Kaede stood up and examined Inuyasha as he sat on the floor. "Hmmm. well, it would seem Sango is right. It didn't even seem to have much of an effect here. Besides changing the color of his hair and the addition of a tail, he remains much the same. Perhaps the creator of such a spell was merely in practice."  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "That's a relief. I'm sick of talking like this, nyao."  
  
Kagome turned to him and stated, "Hey, at least you barely changed. I didn't even have ears like this to begin with. Plus, I have finals this Monday! If I went to school looking like this, I'd be the laughing stock of the whole city!"  
  
Miroku leaned over to Sango and whispered, "Thank you."  
  
Sango glared back at him angrily. "Don't thank me just yet. After I find out hw much of this is your fault, you may not want to thank me."  
  
Miroku sat back down. "Today is just not my day."  
  
To be continued.  
  
So, how was that? All right? Please review! 


	2. Witches, Powders, and Chibiness

Hola! It's that time again, for a new chapter. If you reviewed last time, thank you so much. Your words mean a lot to me. This chapter. if you like intense violence, bloodshed, sexual innuendo, and other adult things. You're better off reading another fic. There's none of that here. Just another chapter. With chibiness! Read and review, please.  
  
Author's note: Due to some personality problems, the final lines of this chapter have been re-written.  
  
Chapter 2: Witches, powders, and chibiness  
  
"Sango, are you sure this old witch can help us, nyao?" Inuyasha asked, perched on the back of Kagome's bike, which rode alongside Sango, Shippou, and a very quiet Sota.  
  
Sango nodded. "I'm positive. I remember requiring her services many years ago. Our village had been summoned to fend off a large family of giant kitsune demons."  
  
Shippou hopped onto Sango's shoulder and asked, "Were they demons like me?"  
  
Sango shook her head. "No, they were much more ferocious."  
  
Shippou glared. "Hey, I can be tough and ferocious when I want to be!"  
  
Sango and Kagome giggled. "Of course you can, Shippou," said Kagome, pedaling slowly as to not pass Sango.  
  
"In any case," Sango continued, "These demons weren't really all that tough, but they could use their illusions to make themselves appear so. We made them flee the village, easily, but while retreating, one of our rookie members ran off to try and catch one. The demon was the wisest of his tribe. He cast a spell onto the rookie and he was turned instantly into a fox himself."  
  
Kagome gasped. "That's horrible! I mean, the ears are bad enough, nyao, but being turned entirely into another animal? I don't even want to think about that."  
  
Sango nodded in agreement. "Well, around that time, we heard of a woman who performed curing spells, and figured it was the only choice. We brought him here, and with one spell, she turned him back to normal. I figure if she can undo such a powerful spell as that, turning you two back to normal should be no trouble at all."  
  
Sota smiled timidly and turned to his sister. "So, I take it I'm off the hook, so I'll just head back to the village and you can take me home."  
  
Kagome glared back. "Oh, no, you're not out of hot water yet. First, we'll see what happens here."  
  
"There it is!" Shippou said, jumping up and down upon Sango. "I see a small hut up ahead!"  
  
"Ahhh, it's the house. We're here." Sango approached the door and shouted inside, "Hello, is anyone home? We need some assistance."  
  
The curtain on the front door was pushed aside, but instead of the kind, old, witch, a beautiful young girl, probably around 14, with long black hair and brown eyes emerged. "Yes, can I help you?"  
  
Sango blinked. "Huh? Oh, errr. You're not the witch who lives here, are you?"  
  
The girl shook her head and smiled. "Oh, no. I'm her apprentice! My mistress, Kamijo-sama is currently out. Recently, during a storm, a young boy in a nearby village was severely injured. My mistress volunteered to use a healing spell on the boy, but the wounds were far too grave. She needed a special remedy to go with it, and is currently out looking for the ingredients. I don't know how long she'll be gone. It could be hours or it could be weeks."  
  
Kagome gasped. "WEEKS?! But my finals are next week! NYAO! I can't wait that long! I'm going to be like a side show freak at school!" Kagome glanced over the girl again and thought to herself, "Well, at least we left Miroku behind or he'd have tried something perverted by now. She looks like the kind of girl he'd seek out."  
  
Sota sighed. "Looks like I'm still in trouble."  
  
Sango sighed. "Well, our situation is grave indeed, but the life of a boy matters more."  
  
Inuyasha growled and swore under his breath. "God Dammit, this sucks."  
  
The apprentice hesitated for a moment. "Well, maybe." she stopped for a moment to reconsider. "Well, if you're willing to give me a chance, I could try to do the spell."  
  
Kagome's eyes brightened with hope. "Really? You could? Nyao?"  
  
The girl turned her head away shyly. "Well, actually, I'm not very good, but. I can try. I have a book full of spells to try. I could look and attempt one of the spells."  
  
Sango hesitated worryingly. "Are you sure that's safe? Nothing could go wrong?"  
  
The witch apprentice shook her head. "My mistress herself wrote the book. She would not make a mistake. And if we were extra careful, we should be able to get it right."  
  
Inuyasha leaned up against the side of the hut and closed his eyes. "Look, can you do it or can't you? I'm sick of being part cat, and I need that damn cure. If you can't do it, then this is a waste of time."  
  
Kagome glared at Inuyasha with cold, angry eyes. "Don't be so rude, nyao!" She demanded.  
  
"Don't worry," the apprentice stated. "I'm sure I can do it. Come inside and we'll give it a try."  
  
The whole group, somewhat wary, pushed aside the light red cloth that covered the door and gazed at the innards of the hut. Books filled the many shelves around the walls. Bottles lay cluttered on the floor, some filled with odd liquids, others completely empty. Bags of powders lined one particular table on the other side of the room, on a gorgeous rug.  
  
"Oh, how rude of me. I never did introduce myself, did I?" The young apprentice said. "My name's Satsuki Nekoi."  
  
Kagome introduced the whole group. "My name is Kagome, and this brute is Inuyasha. He acts tough, but that's just to hide the fact he's so soft inside. He's harmless."  
  
"I heard that, nyao!"  
  
She ignored the hanyou's objection and continued, pointing to each member of the party. "Oh, and this cute little guy is Shippou, this is my little brother Sota, and you might already know Sango."  
  
Satsuki shook her head as she reached onto a tall shelf in order to grab a book just out of her reach. "Well, no, not personally. This is our first meeting." She leaped up in futile efforts to grab the book, failing due to her short stature. Inuyasha walked over, grabbed it, and handed it to her without a word. "Arigatou," she said in return.  
  
Kagome smirked and whispered, "See? I told you he's soft, he just won't admit it."  
  
"As I was saying, I've heard of you, Sango, from a village of demon exterminators. Supposedly the best the village has to offer."  
  
Sango hung her head. "That's true. or. rather was. but I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Satsuki frowned. "I'm sorry, I won't ask. let me just get on with the spell. Let me look here." She opened the book on a small table and flipped through. I know it's here somewhere. This book is full of ways to reverse spells. Let's see. transformation spells! Here we are! It says if the victim was transformed less than a week ago. this minor spell should work. Let's see, you mix on part."  
  
As Satsuki listed the steps involved for the spell, Sota's patience waned and he began to inspect the shelves around him. A pair of bags in bright red pouches caught his attention and he picked them up. "Huh? What's this?" He opened the pouches and found a thin powder within each. "Feels like sand."  
  
"SOTA, NYAO!" Kagome called him to attention.  
  
"Ahhh!" Sota was startled by the girl's shouts and dropped one bag of powder onto the table, spilling it.  
  
"Sota, are you even paying attention, this is important!" The girl demanded he returned.  
  
"Ummm. err. I." He stared at the dust, poured over the table. "Y-yeah, just a second. Wait, where's the second bag?" The boy panicked and merely shoved all the extra powder into one bag, placing it back on the shelf before sitting down again.  
  
"Hmmm. okay, is everyone ready for me to try?" Satsuki asked, closing her book. The group nodded.  
  
"Whatever the hell gets me back to normal, nyao, is fine by me. The sooner the better." Inuyasha explained.  
  
Satsuki grabbed a small bottle from the shelves and removed a few leaves from herbs in the area and placed it in a bowl and began to crush it with a spoon. "All I have to do. is grind this up." She put the bowl down and walked to the shelf, grabbing a familiar bag of powder.  
  
Sota stood up. "Wait. you can't! Errr. I mean. are you sure you need THAT powder particularly?"  
  
"Sota, what's wrong with you?" Kagome asked, wiggling her ears and wagging her tail angrily.  
  
Satsuki replied, "Yes, I'm quite sure. I need this. It's the main ingredient. Do not worry, this book is never wrong. My mistress would never write it down if she wasn't completely sure it would work flawlessly." She carried the bag back to the bowl and slowly opened it. She poured it carefully in with the crushed herb leaves, and set the bag down. "One last ingredient." Satsuki took a clear bottle of a white fluid and poured it into the bowl, stirring it. "Okay, done! It's all ready to test."  
  
Inuyasha stood up. "Just hand it over already, nyao!"  
  
Kagome still seemed a bit weary, though. "Maybe I'll let Inuyasha go first. I want to make sure it's safe."  
  
"Don't worry," Satsuki reassured her. "It's perfectly safe for ANYONE. In fact, it can be healthy for anyone. What actually happens is that this doesn't cure the ailment, but instead it is an age reversal. It actually restores what your body was a week before. Thus it can be used to heal wounds and small things like this. It can only be used once on a person, and it can't heal major inflictions, but in this case, it should do the trick."  
  
"Sugoi!" Kagome exclaimed. "It sounds like you might be just an apprentice, but you know quite a bit!"  
  
Sango thought for a moment. "Actually. I was wondering, Satsuki." She rolled up her sleeve to show a small scar on her right arm. "The other day, I saw a demon running towards a village and attempted to slay it. However, before I could, it left me this long cut on my arm. It should heal on its own, but it hurts a bit. Could this special drink fix that as well?"  
  
Satsuki nodded. "A small scar like that? As long as it happened within a week's time, sure. Here, let me pour you a glass." Sota sweated in worry as he watched the young apprentice pour two cups of the special solution out of the bowl and handed one to Inuyasha and one to Sango. "Now, let me go find a third cup for Kagome-san."  
  
Inuyasha sniffed the glass curiously. "Smells fine to me. Well, bottoms up." He took a quick swill to taste it, then gulped it down. Sango slowly drank hers as well. For a moment, nothing happened, except Sota's worry grew by the second.  
  
The hair on Inuyasha's head slowly began to lose its color. The deep black slowly faded to a perfect white. His tail shortened and shortened until it vanished entirely. Sango gazed at her arm, watching the scar slowly vanish into nothingness, leaving behind only her fair complexion.  
  
"It worked! HA! No more stupid cat crap!" Inuyasha laughed aloud.  
  
"And my arm is fine once more!" Sango exclaimed.  
  
Sota wiped the sweat from his forehead. His meddling had not affected the potion after all. "That's a relief."  
  
"Eh? What's a relief?" Shippou asked, jumping into Kagome's lap.  
  
"Errr. I. kind of. mixed two potions together. By mistake," he replied meekly.  
  
"You WHAT?!" Kagome screamed.  
  
"Ummm. what was the other powder you mixed in?" Satsuki asked.  
  
"I don't know. I can't find the bag. I think I lost. no, wait, I see it!" Sota pointed to a bright red piece of cloth on the ground. Satsuki picked it up and turned pale white. He turned to Inuyasha and Sango and began to sweat herself.  
  
The two of them began to glow a bright white with a blinding intensity. When the light faded out, only two piles of clothes and weapons could be found on the ground. "I-I-Inuyasha?!" Kagome stated. "Sango?! What happened?! Where'd they go?!"  
  
"I'm right here, you stupid girl!" Came a familiar, but high-pitched voice.  
  
"But where is here?" Kagome asked.  
  
A lump started to move in Inuyasha's clothing until it popped out the neck of his armor. "Right here!"  
  
Kagome's jaw dropped and she, and everyone else, stared blankly for a moment. "Inuyasha. you're. you're. like, fives years old!"  
  
Inuyasha looked down. HE was half in, half out of his clothes, in a very small body. "WHAT?! HOW THE HELL.?!"  
  
Sango popped out of her clothes, in a similar predicament. "AIEEEE! I'm a little girl again!"  
  
Satsuki sighed. "I knew it. The second powder was a far more powerful, and permanent, age reversal powder."  
  
Inuyasha stopped his cursing for a moment and dropped dead silent, as did the rest of the room. His eyes shrank and his heart sank. "Did you say. permanent?"  
  
Satsuki sighed. "Well, normally, yes. But I think we may be in luck. Because of these two powders having different dates and effects, they may just cancel each other out. which, if my notes are correct, means you should only be stuck like this for a day or so."  
  
Kagome sighed in relief. "That's good to know. Still, I guess that means I'm stuck with these ears and this tail, nyao. We're back to square one."  
  
Satsuki added, "And when Inuyasha returns to normal, he'll most likely still be a cat-boy."  
  
"Great. That's just so damn great," Inuyasha cussed. "Now what the hell do we do?"  
  
Kagome thought for a moment then decided, "Let's just head home. There's nothing more we can do here."  
  
Satsuki shook her head. "I just wish I could be more of a help than this. I screwed up badly. I'm so sorry." She bowed out of shame.  
  
Kagome put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll live. And besides." Her angry eyes turned to her brother. "It wasn't YOUR fault, Satsuki, that this happened!"  
  
Sota sighed. "I'm dead."  
  
Good-byes said, they all headed out back towards the village in defeat. Sota and Shippou walked alongside Kagome's bike, while Sango rode on the back and Inuyasha was stuck sitting in the front basket.  
  
"Keh. just look at me. This is just pathetic." Inuyasha mumbled to himself.  
  
"Oh, calm down. It isn't so bad, Inuyasha," Kagome stated. She proceeded to pinch one of his cheeks jokingly. "Besides, you're so adorable as a little kid."  
  
Inuyasha smacked away her hand and rubbed his cheek. "I ain't adorable! Sheesh, how could this day possibly get any worse?"  
  
Kagome slammed on the brakes to her bike. "No. I sense a jewel shard!"  
  
Inuyasha stood up. "Where?! Where?! .Wait a second." He sniffed the air. "That's NOT just a jewel shard. He's here. He's coming for us!"  
  
"Inuyasha, how is it that every time we meet, you seem to grow more and more pathetic?" A familiar voice approached the group.  
  
"It's Sesshoumaru!" Shippou exclaimed in fear, backing away from the beast slowly.  
  
"A young child now? Only a fool could end up in such situations as you do. But enough talk. I came here to claim that which is mine. But I was hoping to have a fight for it."  
  
Kagome gasped. "Oh no, look, he has another human arm! And a jewel shard to connect it! With that, he could wield the Tessaiga for real!"  
  
Inuyasha growled. "Age doesn't mean anything!" He held the sheath to the great fang sword closer to him in the basket. "You're gonna have to take it from my cold, dead hands."  
  
"My dear brother, you are in no condition to fight. I have an idea instead, then. I'm feeling more charitable than usual. I will take the Tessaiga now, and if you can find some way to return to your normal self, we shall duel for the sword. The one left alive shall claim the sword. Of course, considering you hardly know how to use it, I will surely win." Sesshoumaru proclaimed his challenge to his brother. "So, hand over the sword for now."  
  
The demon stepped forward to claim what he believed to be his own.  
  
A pink blur barely whizzed by Sesshoumaru's head, causing him to stop. The blur continued into the woods, where it exploded in a burst of energy. Kagome stood in front of the bike, her bow drawn, and her face scowled. "Listen here, you stupid demon! The Tessaiga belongs to Inuyasha! Your father gave it to him and it's going to stay that way! Inuyasha can't even fight right now!"  
  
Inuyasha growled. "Kagome, get out of the way before you get hurt! Sesshoumaru wouldn't hesitate to rips your arms off!"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "NO! This has gone too far! Sesshoumaru, you're taking advantage of your own brother when he isn't capable of fighting back. That's utterly despicable! So, if you make one false move, this next arrow will be between your eyes!"  
  
Sesshoumaru's eyes began to glow a deep crimson. "Human girl, if you do not step aside, and leave things not your business be, you will not live long enough to regret it."  
  
Kagome pulled farther back on her arrow. "I'm warning you, Sesshoumaru."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked to Shippou and Sota, backing away. "Perhaps the Tessaiga can wait. It seems this girl needs to learn a lesson from this. Something she will not forget."  
  
In a second, Sesshoumaru leaped over the bike and Kagome, and landed beside Sota and Shippou, grabbing them both.  
  
"SOTA! SHIPPOU! Sesshoumaru, put them down, NOW!" Kagome demanded aiming her bow once more.  
  
Sango halted Kagome. "Wait, you can't do that! If you fire, you'll hurt everyone!"  
  
Kagome growled but understood she was right.  
  
"You're learning, human," Sesshoumaru said. "But I feel the lesson is not learned. If you wish no harm to come across these two, Inuyasha alone must come to me with the Tessaiga. I'm not a kidnapper, but it seems to be the only way we can fight honorably without interruptions. Remember, if you, girl, show up, your friends are dead." With both Sota and Shippou in hand, Sesshoumaru leaped into the air, over a forest, and vanished.  
  
Kagome fell to her knees and started to cry. "No, they're both gone! He took them both!"  
  
Inuyasha leaped from the bike and stared at the forest. He growled deeply. "Kagome, I don't give a damn how old I am now. We're going to find that brother of mine. and I'm going to rip his head off! Let's go."  
  
To be continued. 


	3. Caves, Hostages, and Lava Pits

ORO! I'm back. Finally. And I'd like to apologize for such a late update. I had this done for WEEKS. It's just my editor had no time to edit it. But I cannot blame her one bit. Life has been going haywire lately for everyone, and fictions were the last thing I had time for. So, I've decided from now on, I'll be editing everything myself. This should speed the process up greatly. So, expect updates about every week or two, all right? And for those of you waiting for my other fictions to update, expect them updated this week or next. Sorry for the wait.  
  
And, at this time, before I begin, I'd like to thank, and ask any of you, to thank my dear editor, Aerin, for all the work she has put in all my fictions. She's a wonderful person, and deserves all the thanks I can give. My work wouldn't be what it is without her.  
  
Now, on to the story. Let me state I know some people spell "Tessaiga" as "Tetsuaiga." Up until recently, I did, too. But my aforementioned editor explained the second character, used in the form it is, is ss, not tsu, so, that's how I use it. If it is incorrect remember that many people spell many different Inuyasha names differently. You know what I'm referring to. Also note I refer to Miroku's "Kazaana" as his "Wind Tunnel." I do this just because that is my preference.  
  
Now, on with the fic.  
  
Chapter 3: Caves, Hostages, and Lava Pits  
  
Inuyasha growled lowly as he rode the remainder of the distance back home. He shielded himself from the cold with the clothes that were much too big for him at the moment. The very idea that such a powerful half-demon, stuck as a child, forced to ride in a basket, clad only in clothes far too big for him. It was a cruel twist of an undeserving fate. His face scowled as he tried to keep his tough air about him. "This sucks."  
  
Sango was less angry, but just as distressed. She sat behind Kagome, sitting atop her giant hiraikotsu. She looked down at her miniature body. "Miroku will never let me hear the end of this."  
  
Kagome, however, was the most distressed of them all. "Sota. Argh. it's all my fault." she whispered to herself.  
  
They approached the village when Miroku came running as fast as he could, hope in his eyes. "You're back! Did you. fix." He then noticed not only did Kagome still have her cat ears and tail (which didn't make riding a bike too comfortable), but that Inuyasha and Sango were quite. different.  
  
He snickered quietly to himself. Then he chuckled aloud. Then he fell to the ground laughing hysterically. "YOU'RE LITTLE KIDS!"  
  
Inuyasha's face turned bright red, veins popping, partially due to embarrassment, partially due to anger. "CUT THE CRAP, MIROKU, BEFORE THIS 'LITTLE KID' KICKS YOUR ASS!"  
  
Miroku walked over to the bike and began to yank and stretch Inuyasha's cheek. "But how can I resist when you're just so darn cute, little boy?"  
  
Kagome slapped Miroku's hand away. Inuyasha rubbed his cheek, not wanting to admit how much it hurt. "Leave Inuyasha alone, Miroku. This has been one very bad day. The spell screwed up and now these two are stuck like this for a day or so and Sesshoumaru. has my brother and Shippou."  
  
Miroku took a step back. "Sesshoumaru came?! I told you I should have come along! But why would he take Shippou and Sota? He may be a killer, but he's not the kidnapping type. He's more of the type who'd rather kill you one-on- one."  
  
"It's my fault, nyao." Kagome said, looking down and stepping off her bike. "Sesshoumaru wanted the Tessaiga for his own again. but Inuyasha couldn't fight like this. He tried to make a deal that he'd take the Tessaiga now and when Inuyasha returned to normal, they could fight for control of it. So, I took aim at Sesshoumaru. but he." A tear ran down her cheek. "He. he. tried to keep me out of this by taking Shippou and Sota hostage, nyao. Now they're gone, and if I go to look for them, Sesshoumaru will kill them. Only Inuyasha can go."  
  
Sango turned her body on the bike towards Kagome and attempted to calm the broken hearted girl. "Kagome, it's not your fault. You couldn't let the Tessaiga be stolen. Sesshoumaru could have killed so many people with it. We couldn't fight."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Speak for yourself. I could have torn him apart in a few- "  
  
Miroku pushed the boastful baby hanyou down into his clothes to silence him. "I'm sure what Inuyasha means is that he's grateful for your assistance and would have been in serious trouble without you, Kagome. Isn't that right, INUYASHA?" He coughed. "Anyway, we don't even know where Sesshoumaru is. but I don't think we're in too much trouble. As I said, Sesshoumaru isn't the kidnapping type. I doubt he'd really hurt them unless anyone but Inuyasha got too close."  
  
Kagome wiped a tear from your eyes. "Thank you, Miroku. I feel a little better. I suppose if we could find a way to sneak up on Sesshoumaru, we could get them both back safe and sound."  
  
Miroku nodded. "Exactly. But there's nothing we can do tonight. Let's eat a little dinner then get some sleep. We'll spend all of tomorrow looking for signs of them. Come on."  
  
After arriving back within in the village, Kagome explained the tale to Kaede, and everyone had dined.  
  
Kagome put down her cup of instant ramen (Inuyasha insisted on it) and looked at Miroku, putting Sango, who had fallen asleep, to bed on a blanket in the corner, next to a sleeping hanyou. "Maybe I was too hard on him," she thought. "Sure, he can be a pervert, that's why we didn't let him come with us today, but he's been so mature tonight. Maybe he's finally going to start acting like a gentleman."  
  
Miroku came back and grabbed Kagome's hand, helping her to her feet. He wrapped his arm around her back. "And now that the young ones are in bed, perhaps it's time for all grown-ups to get to bed." He lowered his hand slowly down her back until it.  
  
Miroku flew out the hut's door and a small blanket came afterwards. "And you can just stay out there all night, you letch! NYAO!" Kagome screamed and then sighed. "Okay, so maybe he's not maturing."  
  
Kagome walked back to the corner where Inuyasha and Sango slept. She was still fuming from the audacity of the monk, until she looked at the two on the floor. Kagome giggled. "Inuyasha would kill me if I said it when he was awake, but he and Sango are pretty adorable as little kids." She sat down beside Inuyasha. He was using his clothes, which, of course, wouldn't fit, as a blanket. It had already slipped down over him and he seemed to shiver in his sleep. She pulled his blanket over him, causing the little hanyou to hug up against it. "He really is just a little softy under that tough guy exterior," she said while yawning but smiling. She laid down and closed her eyes, giggling still to herself.  
  
Dawn came, bright and early, waking Miroku up prematurely. "Errm." he stretched his arms out. "How could she be so cold? She could have at least offered me another blanket out here." He sat up against the tree he had been forced to sleep under. "Well, what's done is done. Might as well wake the others so we may get started in looking for Shippou and Kagome's little brother." He got to his feet and headed towards the hut.  
  
The monk poked his head in through the door and turned to the corner where the rest of the party slept, but at the sight of it, he began to snicker.  
  
"It would appear the spell didn't last nearly as long as predicted." he mumbled. Sango and Inuyasha slept still, but once more in their original bodies. Inuyasha's hair was still black, as he had reverted back to a cat. Since they had slept inside their clothes, when their bodies changed back, they were dressed. however. "It would seem Kagome's maternal instincts were in full effect last night, helping to nurture the young Inuyasha last night. This could prove to be very entertaining."  
  
Inuyasha held Kagome in a strong embrace, still deep in slumber. Kagome, likewise, held Inuyasha tightly. Most likely she had subconsciously cared for him in the night, and was not aroused when he changed back.  
  
"Kagome, it's time to wake up, Kagome. We have to start looking." Miroku said close to her ear, attempting to stir her awake. She stretched her arms and yawned.  
  
"Eh? Morning already?" She opened her eyes slowly and attempted to stretch her arms, but they were wrapped around something. "Eh?" She focused her eyes to see Inuyasha's sleeping eyes before hers, which had shrunk down to tiny dots.  
  
"AIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"  
  
"YAAAAAAAH!" Inuyasha woke up in a heartbeat, covering his kitty ears. "What the hell is wrong with you, you stupid girl? Why did you scream in my ears?!"  
  
Kagome stood up and glared right back. "Where do you get off trying to touch me when I'm asleep and then INSULTING me, nyao?"  
  
Sango sat up, yawned, and sighed. "Well, this is the record for the earliest they started arguing."  
  
"ME, NYAO?!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Like hell I'd flirt with a girl like you!" "I didn't say flirting! You're such a pervert! And what do you mean by 'a girl like me?!'" "PERVERT?! NYAO! Don't flatter yourself! And I mean you're stupid and you're ugly and-" "OSUWARI!"  
  
"Hmmm? That's odd." Kaede turned towards her hut from her garden. "I might have sworn I heard such a loud crash, but everyone should still be asleep by now."  
  
The group once more set out on the road, the feud between Kagome and Inuyasha ended for now.  
  
"We should all split up to look for clues as to Shippou and Sota's whereabouts," said Miroku.  
  
"Well, that is a good idea," Kagome said, "but where should we start looking? We don't have any idea at all where they could be."  
  
Miroku pointed back over the hill Kagome the others came back the day before. "That's the scene of the crime, where they were kidnapped, if Kagome's story is correct. Inuyasha, carry Kagome up there. You can use your nose to sniff out any signs of their whereabouts. Kagome, you inspect that whole area and listen to Inuyasha."  
  
"I ain't your personal bloodhound. but I'll do it," Inuyasha stated. "Just because I'm itching to get my hands on that brother of mine." Kagome rolled her eyes. She knew he was just as worried as she was.  
  
"Sango and I," continued Miroku, "will ride Kirara and inspect nearby villages to see if anyone has seen or heard anything. If anyone sees anything, come running to find the others."  
  
"All right, nyao. But remember, Sesshoumaru is MINE," declared Inuyasha, wagging his tail furiously in anticipation.  
  
Sango appeared more than a little irritated by the hanyou's headstrongness. "This isn't the time for that, Inuyasha. We'll talk about that after we get a clue. Rushing in will only put everyone in greater danger."  
  
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome quick and threw her on his back. "All right then, let's go. I'm dying to payback my brother for what he did." Kagome held on as tight as she could and Inuyasha leaped and ran at full speed back  
  
Hours later.  
  
"Sango! Could you find anything?" Miroku called out to Sango as he ran to her in an open field.  
  
"No, no one has seen anything. Most villages I have visited haven't seen any demons as of late, even of the smallest varieties," she explained.  
  
"The same story with me, too. That's every place in the nearby area. I suppose we can only go and try to aid Inuyasha in his quest."  
  
Kirara leaped off Sango's shoulder and growled as she grew into her giant tiger-like form. The two hopped onto her back and flew off.  
  
"Nyao. Come on, Inuyasha, how long could it take to find a simple clue if you can already smell it?" Kagome asked, brimming over with impatience.  
  
"Hey, I'm a demon, not a detective, nyao!" He lowered his face to the ground and inhaled deeply, trying to focus in on the smell. His cattail waved back and forth in irritation and a lack of patience at such action- less work.  
  
"Hey, it looks like Miroku and Sango are back," Kagome declared, pointing her finger in their direction as Kirara landed.  
  
Miroku got quickly to the point, asking, "Kagome, any progress?"  
  
"Inuyasha's smelled something for a while now, but it's not much. He can't find it. He says it's sort of like Shippou, but not him or something." she explained.  
  
"Hey, I think I got something!" exclaimed Inuyasha with enthusiasm. He sniffed a small mound of dirt on the ground and stared at it. His kitty ears twitched a few times. "It's so. familiar, nyao. I know this smell from before. I don't know. It's-"  
  
BOING!  
  
"NYAAAAAAAA!" Inuyasha fell over in surprise as a little orange and white object popped out of the ground in his face.  
  
"A mushroom?" Kagome was in a bit of disbelief. "Wait, that mushroom." Upon closer examination it was seen that the mushroom had eyes and flailed about, almost screaming quietly. "These are Shippou's! He must have placed them as Sesshoumaru was carrying him away! And there's a while trail of them!"  
  
Kagome spoke the truth, as out of the ground popped a wavering line of fungi.  
  
"Follow them! They're our only lead!" shouted Kagome. Thus, the five of them all ran off down the trail. It led through some deep woods until it reached an enclave in a mountain. The trees covered up the area, so it was very dark, even at the height of the day. A small opening in the mountain formed a large cave entrance.  
  
Inuyasha held his nose in the air. "I can smell 'em. Shippou, Sota, and most of all, my brother. They're definitely in there."  
  
"All right, then, I guess we should start looking." Kagome stepped forward to enter the cave, but Inuyasha grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  
  
"Listen up, Kagome. 'We' ain't gonna do anything. I'M going in alone. Sesshoumaru is my brother. I'll deal with him my way."  
  
Sango spoke up. "Don't be selfish and overconfident, Inuyasha. Our friends are in there, too. We have just as much right-"  
  
"If you guys go in there, Shippou and Sota are gonna end up DEAD," bluntly stated Inuyasha. "Especially Kagome. If you go in, Kagome, that'll piss him off the most. Sesshoumaru wants the Tessaiga. That's it. If we all enter, I don't want to know what he'll do to them. He might even kill one of you guys first. And I don't know about any of you, but I don't feel like having any guilt trips because some of my friends wouldn't let me handle my business alone! So just stay outta there, OKAY? I'm doing this thing solo." Without another word and without a simple look into Kagome's eyes, the hanyou turned around and started marching into the cave.  
  
"Inuyasha." Kagome said quietly, partially in shock from all of this. "You really don't. We. can't."  
  
Miroku put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head gently. "Let him go. We can't stop him." Kagome turned her head back in time to watch Inuyasha vanish within the darkness of the cave.  
  
"Ugh." Inuyasha groaned from deep within the cave. Barely a minute or so of walking had passed, yet it was nearly pitch black. "It reeks of demon and human blood in here. But I can still smell my brother. Human blood and my brother... I've found better smelling rotting corpses than this crappy cave, nyao." He shuddered. "Dammit, nyao, I can't stop saying that. This whole cat thing just pisses me off. Still, at least I can see this whole place in the dark. I guess this crappy form has some useful parts." He continued marching on.  
  
"Miroku, I've been thinking." said Sango. "If Inuyasha is going to be fighting Sesshoumaru in there, he really could use all the help he could get, right?"  
  
Miroku nodded. "Of course he could. Sesshoumaru isn't just some run of the mill demon. But you know if we show our faces, Shippou and Sota will be in danger, so we don't dare even go in. Inuyasha can probably handle it on his own. For once, his overconfidence may not be too far off."  
  
Sango nodded. "Right, but my question is, when Inuyasha fights Sesshoumaru, who will be watching his two prisoners?"  
  
Kagome's cat ears perked up the moment she heard these words and her tail straightened out. "Nyao?! You mean we should rescue my brother and Shippou while Sesshoumaru is distracted?"  
  
Miroku thought to himself for a moment. "Well, it certainly is worth a try. If we can get them safe, then we could aid him in the battle. Well. all right. Let's go."  
  
Inuyasha came to a fork within the road of the cave. On his right, a descending path, somehow filled with wind, smelled of Sota and Shippou. The other was a straight path that was unmistakably a path that led to Sesshoumaru. "Why would my brother keep them separate from himself.?" His mind went back to the event that led to the kidnapping and his blood began to boil. "Argh, who cares why? Ripping his spine out comes before rescuing brats!" He readied his claws and headed down the path straight to Sesshoumaru.  
  
As Inuyasha walked further down, though, Kagome and the rest of the group arrived at the very fork in the path the hanyou arrived at but a minute before.  
  
"Which way do we go?" asked Miroku.  
  
Sango crouched and inspected the ground. "I can't see a trace of Inuyasha, Shippou, or Sota."  
  
"If we know Inuyasha half as well as we think we do," Miroku began, "then we know he'd go after Sesshoumaru first, not bothering to check any paths for possible traps. So, if Shippou and Sota are with Sesshoumaru, we should take the same path he did."  
  
"But. I don't think Sesshoumaru and our friends are in the same place," Kagome said startlingly.  
  
Miroku turned to face her. "How could you possibly know that?"  
  
Kagome held her head up. "Well, I am half cat now, nyao. And. I know it's not as good as a dog, but I think. I think my sense of smell has improved quite a bit."  
  
Sango looked a little shocked. "So, you can smell nearly as well as Inuyasha? Errr. do you think you could use that to find our path?"  
  
"Hey, I'm not supposed to be a bloodhound here."  
  
Sango sighed. "Where have I heard that line before.?"  
  
"Well, when I tried before. I smelled something weird. I thought Sesshoumaru would keep Shippou and Sota nearby, but I can smell Sota down this path." She pointed down the descending path. "Sota's always used this strong shampoo that bugged me, but I'd recognize it anywhere. And down the straight path I can smell a medicine plant Inuyasha ran through a patch of on the way here."  
  
Miroku examined each pathway. "So, if Shippou and Sota are down here, and Inuyasha's that way, it's obvious he's not looking for the two of them and going after Sesshoumaru first. If that's the case, now's our chance to get them out of here!" The four of them dashed down the descending path.  
  
Ahead, Inuyasha came to a large, bright room. "What the hell? It's a mountain. How can there be so much light down here? And where's that smoke coming from? What's burning?" When he stepped forward a bit more, the ledge dropped down into a pit.  
  
"Shit, this isn't a mountain, it's an inactive volcano!" Inuyasha looked over the edge of the ground down below into a pit of boiling magma. It was only a short gap, though, of a few meters. He simply leaped across onto another platform above the molten rock when a voice called out to him.  
  
As he stood upon the island platform in the sea of magma, an all too familiar voice called out to him. "Well, well, my brother. I did not expect to see you here." Sesshoumaru leaped over from the other side of the room to the platform Inuyasha stood on. "But it doesn't matter. This saves me the trouble of looking for you."  
  
Inuyasha steadied his hand, putting it near the Tessaiga's sheath. "So, where's the little green guy who follows you? Or maybe you want to fight a real fight for once?"  
  
Sesshoumaru showed no anger towards Inuyasha's comments, though. "My dear brother, you know as well as I that I only fight when it is a true battle of skills. But what is this? I know of your disgusting human form with hair as black as the new-moon sky that creates it, but now even as a half-demon it is the same? I can even smell a feline on you. First you disgrace our family by even being born of a mortal woman and now you betray your very breed by being part of a cat? Well, no matter. Your disgusting ways and acts shall soon be removed from our family tree altogether. Prepare yourself."  
  
Inuyasha drew the Tessaiga, growling deeply in doing so. "I'm just here to rescue some people, but if I have to cut that ugly head of yours off to do that, well. keh. all the better. Now shut up and fight!"  
  
"It's odd." Sango stated, walking down a circular-stair-like passage in the cave. "There's so much wind down here, almost like we were outside. What could cause all of this? Wait, could it be Kagura?"  
  
"No," Miroku said, shaking his head, "it couldn't be her. Inuyasha or even Kagome might have smelled her presence. Besides, while both Kagura and Sesshoumaru want to kill Inuyasha, they both have very different reasons and could hardly be considered allies in arms. Most likely this wind belongs to a natural phenomenon or the work of some other demon."  
  
Soon, they reached the bottom and found themselves in a wide spaced room. Nothing at all seemed to be in there, except a few stone pillars supporting the ceiling. But on the other side of the room, right in front of the path down, were two torches pinned to the wall. In their glow were two small, dark figures.  
  
Kagome rushed forward and shouted, "SHIPPOU? SOTA? IS THAT YOU, NYAO?"  
  
"Nyao.?" One figure muttered as it stood up. "I recognize that. KAGOME?! Shippou! Shippou! Wake up! It's Kagome!"  
  
A second figure rose slowly. "Ah! It is Kagome! Kagome, it's us! Over here!"  
  
Kagome sighed in relief. "I was so worried about you two! Come on, let's get out of here before-"  
  
"WAIT!" they screamed.  
  
"Wait for-AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Kagome walked forward, but fell right off a ledge down cliff that was too dark to see.  
  
"KAGOME, NO!" Miroku hurled himself to the ground, barely catching Kagome's feet. However, the weight was too much and he was slowly dragged over the side until Sango grabbed onto his feet. Still, now the added weight of the monk, they started to slip again. That's when Kirara grew to her full size and stepped onto Sango, using her sheer weight to hold everyone down.  
  
"Are you guys okay?" Sota asked from across the cave.  
  
Kagome's eyes were rather small, staring down into the pit below. "Ummm. I'm hanging over a pit that's probably a few kilometer's deep and I have no way of moving, but I'm not dead. yet. Sango, could you. uhhh. pulls us back up.?"  
  
"I think so." she replied. "Kirara, help me pull them back up.  
  
"We tried to warn you," said Shippou from the other side of the cave. "This is why we couldn't leave. Sesshoumaru left us here and said he'd be back for us when he needed us. I think this is some sort of volcano turned into a shrine."  
  
As Kagome was finally lifted back to flat ground, she sighed in relief. "What's that about a volcano? And a shrine?"  
  
Shippou sat down at the edge of the cliff. "Well, over here, there are some strange markings and drawings on the wall. I see some pictures, too, of some people worshipping something. See, here's the wind they drew. That's where we are now, the wind shrine. Outside is the Earth shrine with all the trees. The top of the mountain is supposed to be covered in snow most of the year so it's the ice shrine, and somewhere in this mountain is an inactive volcano that is the fire shrine."  
  
Sango stared in amazement. "That's amazing, Shippou. You figured all that out just by looking at some pictures?"  
  
"Actually, I kind of overheard all that from Sesshoumaru talking to that Jaken guy that follows him around outside the cave before we came in here."  
  
The group face faulted.  
  
"That's not exactly useful information, though. It doesn't exactly explain how we'll get you guys out of heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!"  
  
A gigantic gust came from the entrance and picked up and Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and Kirara were all thrown into the pit below, screaming.  
  
"SISTER!" Sota shouted as their screams died out below.  
  
But then, their screams became louder again as the group was thrown from the bottom of the pit onto the ledge Sota and Shippou were on.  
  
"Ugh, what the hell just happened?" Kagome said, getting off of Kirara, who luckily did not land on anyone.  
  
Miroku laughed. "Well, we survived. And, it seems I landed on a rather soft spot."  
  
Sango snarled. "Miroku, if you don't get your hand off of there, I'm going to throw you down this pit and make sure you DON'T come back up."  
  
Miroku quickly took his hand off her lower region and laughed nervously. "Goodness me, was that MY hand?" Sango stood up and slapped him hard across the cheek.  
  
Kagome looked around. "So, uhhh. what happened?"  
  
Sota laughed nervously. "I guess we forgot to mention it was the winds that were keeping us here. This is a prison in the Wind Shrine. The winds were commanded to keep anyone here forever."  
  
Shippou continued. "Sesshoumaru knows the spell or password or something like that that the people who worshipped here used to stop the winds, but he's not going to let us out of here until he's good and ready."  
  
Kagome's eyes shrunk and her heart skipped a few beats. "Wait, nyao, let me see if I got this straight. No matter what we do, these winds will keep us here."  
  
"Right," answer Shippou.  
  
"If Inuyasha kills Sesshoumaru, he'll come here next to try and rescue us, but since Sesshoumaru alone knows the spell or password to break it, he'll either be unable to help us, or, worse, get stuck with us!"  
  
"Ummm. r-right." said Sota.  
  
"And, worst of all, if Sesshoumaru somehow defeats Inuyasha, HE'LL be dead, then he'll have the Tessaiga, and he'll either come here and kill us all, or he'll just leave us to rot here!"  
  
Shippou and Sota just stared at each other for a moment. "."  
  
Kagome slowly fell down in a sitting position, her ears and tails limp, he eyes small. "This. isn't happening. We're as good as dead."  
  
Miroku tried to laugh a little to lighten the mood, but with his own nervousness (and cheek still red), it was none too reassuring. "Um. well, don't give up hope. I mean, there must still be a way out of here. Wait, Kirara! Can't she fly-"  
  
"She's not strong enough. The winds can hold anything back. I've tried to transform into her and it didn't work," stated Shippou. "Not even Inuyasha could go against these winds. So, unless you could find and trick Kagura into freeing us, it's not likely anyone can get us out of here without knowing the spell or password or whatever it is Sesshoumaru will use to get us out of here."  
  
Kagome grabbed Sota by the shirt collar and smiled sarcastically. "You know, maybe you should have warned us about these things BEFORE WE CAME TO GET YOU!" Her face went from faux-smiling to pure anger.  
  
"WAIT!" Sango exclaimed. "I have an idea! We only have one shot, but it may work!"  
  
Kagome dropped her brother quickly and watched Sango remove the hiraikotsu from her side. "What are you going to do?" She asked.  
  
"See that pillar over there?" Sango pointed to a large, natural stone column on the far side of the room by the entrance. "If I can hit it from here, maybe I can knock it over and it will fall over, creating a bridge of sorts."  
  
Kagome thought deeply for a moment. "But what if it. gets stuck. Then again. What do we have to lose but our lives if you fail? So, go for it, Sango!"  
  
Sango stared and concentrated for all of a second then hurled the weapon as hard as she could. "This will be tricky. This wind can severely alter my aim. But here we GO!" She hurled it with all her might as it moved exactly towards her target.  
  
Until another gust of wind pushed it farther to the left.  
  
Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku all fell down. "We're doomed," they muttered.  
  
The hiraikotsu, however, did manage to hit a column in the very back of the row of columns. It toppled over, but down into the pit, instead of onto the platform like a bridge. Then. the weapon continued on, passing through another pillar. And another. And another. It turned around, and headed through another row of columns. However, none of them landed in a useable position. They all fell into the pit. The group hung their heads in silence.  
  
The cave, however, was not as silent as they, and began to rumble. Debris fell from the ceiling. Huge chunks of rock plunged from everywhere.  
  
"Oh my God, it's a cave in!" Sango exclaimed.  
  
The ceiling kept giving way, filling up the pit very quickly.  
  
Miroku pushed Kagome and Sango to the ground as a huge boulder started to fall above them. "STAY DOWN! WIND TUNNEL!" He unwrapped the jewels around his arm and held it straight over his head. A spiraling vortex of power absorbed all of the falling debris overhead, preventing them from being crushed.  
  
A minute or so later, it stopped. No more rocks fell.  
  
"I think. I think it's over." Kagome said, lifting her head, looking around, and twitching her ears to see if she could hear anything.  
  
"This sword is MINE!" Inuyasha screamed, leaping into the air, trying to bring the Tessaiga down onto his brother, who merely moved to the side.  
  
"You're tiring, dear brother. You won't last long," remarked Sesshoumaru with a cold tone in his voice. He disappeared in a blur of speed and hurried towards Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru swung in the blink of an eye, catching Inuyasha in the left arm.  
  
"Yeah? Not bad, but you haven't won." Inuyasha took his good, right hand and soaked it in the blood of his left arm. "CLAWS OF BLOOD!" He swung his claws quickly, releasing 4 blades of a bloody attack, one of which Sesshoumaru could not dodge and was hit on the very arm he had just injured.  
  
".Impressive, for a mere half-demon. However, I cannot let a half-breed be the superior brother in this family of ours." He charged ahead, slashing at Inuyasha with the Tokijen. Inuyasha raised the Tessaiga in defense, but that was what Sesshoumaru had wanted. He grabbed Inuyasha by the throat and began to secrete his poison. Inuyasha coughed violently.  
  
The ground shook even more violently, though. The platform on which they stood rapidly turned on its side, sinking into the molten rock, as it turned sideways. This caused Sesshoumaru to release Inuyasha. Both brothers were distracted and they leaped to get to the top once more. Staying on the side that they had been on meant a plunge into the magma, which would have roasted either of them. Still, at the same time, the magma levels receded. Inuyasha jumped to a safe vantage point as the platform itself fell through a hole in the floor.  
  
"What the hell happened? Where's all that magma going?"  
  
Kagome surveyed the area. "No signs of any danger. I think. Wait. do you guys. here something like. water? Something sort of like a liquid I hear."  
  
"I don't hear anything," stated Miroku.  
  
Kagome thought. "Wait a second, is it getting hotter in here?"  
  
Sango looked around. "Actually, now that you mention it, I don't know why, but yes."  
  
Kagome turned to Shippou. "Ummm. what shrines did you say were in here again?"  
  
Shippou replied, "Ice, Wind, Earth and Fire. This bottom layer's the Wind, Fire's above us, Earth's outside, and Ice is on top of the mountain. Why?"  
  
Kagome's eyes shrunk again. "KIRARA! TRANSFORM! EVERYONE! MOVE!"  
  
Without question, Kirara grew to her full size and everyone got on her back. Just as she got into the air, a wave of magma broke through the piles of rock, covering the floor instantly. Kirara took immediate flight for the stairway that led back to the surface.  
  
"Interrupted yet again. This grows tiresome." Sesshoumaru wasn't too pleased as the room he stood in began to collapse around him.  
  
"I'm gettin' tired of you, too, dirt bag!" Inuyasha leapt at Sesshoumaru with another claw swipe, but the elder brother merely used but one fist to send his younger sibling down into a rock pile below.  
  
"Well, then, Inuyasha. or perhaps I should call you Nekoyasha to fit your new, disgusting form. It seems you'll be staying. I'll be back in a day or so to take the Tessaiga from your cold, dead hands. Until then." He dashed out of the cave with super speed.  
  
Kirara dashed up the passage, followed by a molten pool of rock almost all the way to the surface. The saber-toothed cat turned towards the entrance darted out of the cave.  
  
"What are we doing?!" Kagome shouted, her tail straightened out in anger. "Inuyasha's still inside!"  
  
Miroku shook his head. "He's a strong demon; he'll be fine. But if we go back in, we might not."  
  
"But what if he's hurt?" asked Kagome. "I'm going in after him!" she turned and dashed back into the cave.  
  
"Bah! That foolish girl is going to get herself killed!" Miroku chased after her into the cave.  
  
"Wait for us!" Sango and Shippou tried to run back, but as they did so, the entranceway collapsed and was blocked.  
  
"Dammit! We have to clear these rocks!" Sango said, lifting one aside.  
  
Inside the cave, Kagome was nearly to the room where Inuyasha lay when she could smell him in the air. "He's still here!"  
  
She sped into the large battlefield that had been destroyed. She walked to the edge of the pit, where she viewed Inuyasha below. He was stranded on a small rock platform with magma levels rising all above him. In a matter of minutes, he would be boiled alive in the sea of burning rock. The height was too much even for him to leap to. "INUYASHA!" she called out to him.  
  
"Kagome? What are you doing? GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! This place is coming down! You'll be killed!"  
  
"But what about you? We have to get you out of here!"  
  
"I'll think of something!" he reassured her.  
  
"You think I'm going to just leave you here after a speech like that?"  
  
Inuyasha growled louder. "GET OUT OF HERE, STUPID GIRL! Get out of here before you screw up and wind up dead!"  
  
"EXCUSE ME?! SCREW UP?!" She growled herself. "I'VE NEVER MET SUCH A POMPOUS, ARROGANT, SELFISH, IDIOTIC BOY IN MY LIFE! HOW CAN YOU BE SUCH A STUPID-AAAAHHHHH!" The ground broke underneath her feet at the ledge and Kagome fell towards the magma below. "I'm. going to die?" She thought.  
  
She closed her eyes to avoid seeing where she would land. It hit her. But somehow, death felt much. softer. She opened her eyes. Inuyasha had caught her and stood on a small platform above the magma.  
  
Kagome looked Inuyasha in the eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek. "You. you saved me. after I just yelled at you. I'm. sorry."  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "I TOLD You to get out of here. Now we're both trapped, Dammit."  
  
Kagome looked away. "I'm sorry. now we're both. HEY! Wait a second! Just a second ago you told me you'd find a way out!"  
  
Inuyasha glared back. "I lied."  
  
"Arguing to the bitter end, I see," came a voice.  
  
"Miroku?!" They both exclaimed.  
  
"Now both you fools are in danger." the monk said, sighing. "What do we do.?"  
  
"Miroku, can you get Kirara?" Kagome asked.  
  
"No, the entrance is blocked. However, I can get you out of there," he said. "I'll knock some rocks down, Inuyasha will climb as high as he can, and when I say 'jump,' I need Inuyasha to jump towards me as high and far as he can. Don't ask questions, just do it. Got it?"  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Here we go! Wind Tunnel!"  
  
Miroku released his beads and began to use the Wind Tunnel on the opposite side of the room. Great boulders from the walls began to be pulled in. Miroku wrapped the beads around his hand again and the boulders dropped into the magma, onto other platforms, and on each other. Kagome got on Inuyasha's back and he leapt up the rocks until he was on the other side of the room, opposite from Miroku.  
  
"Now, JUMP!"  
  
Inuyasha thought it was suicide. Jumping towards him would make him land in the molten rock below. But he had no choice, as the rocks he stood on began to crumble and he leapt.  
  
"Gotta time this right. WIND TUNNEL!"  
  
Miroku's great vortex yanked Inuyasha and Kagome closer and closer at an increasing speed. As they approached the ledge, the room began to collapse entirely. Miroku wrapped his hand again, and Inuyasha grasped the edge. He pulled himself and Kagome up, and the three of them dashed for the entrance. Sango, Shippou, and Sota were clearing the entrance when Miroku screamed, "Out of the way! Move! This is for your own good!"  
  
He unraveled his arm once more and pulled the rocks out of the way and into the void. The three stumbled out of the cave as the rest of the mountain imploded upon itself.  
  
Kagome looked back at the mountain, gasping for air.  
  
"We made it." she muttered before falling back into slumber from exhaustion and relief.  
  
To be continued. 


	4. Crazed Mothers, Tests, and School Unifor...

Oro… sorry about having this chapter out so late. Life has been HELLISH. And I was wondering why it took so long to type this. Now I know. 36 pages. That's over twice the length of what my fiction was. Chapters one, two, and three combined. So, please forgive my tardiness and accept this extra large helping of the hanyou.  
  
Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine. Neither are the characters, the plot, or anything related. The only thing I own is the plot of this story in itself. So, please, don't sue me!  
  
Chapter 4: Crazed Mothers, Tests, and School Uniforms  
  
When Kagome reawakened, she found herself in the air. She looked to her side and saw the trees below. She let out a terrified scream. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"  
  
"AUGH!" Inuyasha grunted, landing and stopping. "Why the hell did you scream? That hurts my ears!"  
  
Kagome's heart slowed down in its beating, back to normal and she apologized. "Sorry… I just woke up, saw I was so… high up and… panicked…"  
  
Miroku and the others landed beside them, sitting atop Kirara. "Ah, it's good to see you awake, Kagome," said the monk.  
  
"You passed out nearly the second you got out of the cave. We were afraid you might have been seriously hurt, too," explained Sango.  
  
Kagome shook her head and got off Inuyasha's back. "I'm fine… but what do you mean by 'too?' Who else was hurt?"  
  
Inuyasha growled. "For the last time, you three," he explained to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, "I'm perfectly FINE, GOT IT?!"  
  
Shippou sighed. "Then why are you running so slow? I mean, you were running fast for a human, maybe, but for a demon, especially you, that was pretty slow. Hurt your leg, maybe?"  
  
Inuyasha gave a heavy glare to the young kitsune. "I just didn't want to drop Kagome, that's all!"  
  
Kagome thought for a second. "But you've carried me before when I was sleeping and, come to think of it, I've never seen you go so slowly when you're trying to run."  
  
Inuyasha turned towards her. "Not you, TOO! Look, for the last Goddamn time, I'm FINE! Just get off my back already!"  
  
Kagome climbed down off his back. "Sorry, I didn't know I was hurting you…"  
  
Inuyasha slapped his own face. "I DIDN'T MEAN LITERALLY, YOU IDIOT!"  
  
Sota worked up the nerve and chimed in, "Umm… Hey, sis, is that… blood running down Inuyasha's foot?"  
  
They all looked down and could plainly see that blood was dripping down Inuyasha's legs and onto his feet.  
  
"Oh yeah? Then what's that?!" Kagome demanded to know.  
  
"It's just a scratch!" the Hanyou explained. "My brother got me a few times in the back with his sword, that's all. Come on, I've had people shove their swords through me. I think I can take a few little scrapes and bruises."  
  
Miroku shook his head. "Inuyasha, first of all, the Tokijen is no ordinary sword. It was by the fangs of a demon that utterly loathed you and wishes to take your life even after its death. Second of all, I have a hard time believing that's all that happened during your confrontation with your brother."  
  
Inuyasha finally lost his temper altogether and screamed. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP, ALREADY! LET'S JUST GO! I'M GODDAMN FINE, GOT IT!"  
  
The group was silent as they all rode back to the village, Inuyasha keeping a furious look all over his face to mask some of the pain.  
  
When they returned to the door of Kaede's hut, though, Kagome spoke up. "Come on, Inuyasha, let's go get Kaede to check you up."  
  
Inuyasha snarled. "NO! I already told you, I've never felt better. So, NO."  
  
Kagome glared. "Come on, what bad could possibly come from just having a quick LOOK at those wounds?"  
  
Inuyasha curled his hand into a fist. "It's a waste of my time and it's pointless, stupid girl!"  
  
"Stupid Girl?" Kagome repeated in shock for a moment before lowering her head to the ground. She kneeled down and looked almost to be… crying.  
  
Inuyasha suddenly realized what he did. "Ummm… K-Kagome, I didn't mean… I don't want you to… I mean I—"  
  
Kagome's head abruptly straightened out and there was fire in her eyes. "YOU JERK! HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT MAYBE SOME OF US CARE AND WORRY ABOUT YOU?! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!"  
  
Kagome commanded Inuyasha into the ground over a dozen times, pushing him into a deep crater in the ground.  
  
Sango and Miroku peered over the depression and looked down. "Inuyasha?" Sango asked. "Are you alive?"  
  
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Inuyasha gave a bloodcurdling scream loud enough to wake the dead.  
  
"My word!" Kaede exclaimed. "The stab wounds all over his body I can explain, but broken ribs? A misaligned spine? I've never seen so many fractures in all my life!" She was examining the poor hanyou, half out-cold with pain, on the floor.  
  
"Oh my God, Inuyasha, I'm so sorry!" Kagome apologized, her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't know Sesshoumaru had thrown you so hard into those rocks that it nearly broke your back! I wouldn't have… I mean… I didn't mean to lose my temper! Please forgive me!"  
  
Inuyasha couldn't accept the apology, as he was in too much pain to even lift his head to look into her eyes. "Ugh… nyaooooo…"  
  
Miroku sighed. "If Inuyasha were smarter, he would have told us of his wounds and we could have treated him better. But, given his stubborn nature, there really was no way for you to know, Kagome, so don't go so hard on yourself."  
  
Sango stared off, as if this were an everyday occurrence. "Don't worry about him. He's half demon, so his wounds should heal quickly, anyway. This might be crippling to a normal human, but it's obvious Inuyasha is neither normal nor human."  
  
Kaede nodded in agreement. "These injuries should not take too long to heal. I would say a week at the most. But until then, he should not do anything too strenuous. Relatively speaking for a hanyou."  
  
Kagome sat down beside Inuyasha and picked up his head gently. "Still, I'm so sorry! I'm going to si—" Kagome narrowly avoided using the subduing word again. "Errr… I mean I am going to STAY right here by your side until you get better, Inuyasha!"  
  
Sota thought that wasn't such a good idea, however, and hesitatingly reminded his sister, "Uhhh, sis, don't you have finals this week?"  
  
Kagome dropped the bandages she had taken out of her pack and stared off into space.  
  
"F-Finals, nyao?"  
  
Miroku waved his hand in front of her face. "Kagome? Kagome? Can you hear me? Are you conscious?"   
  
"I COMPLETELY FORGOT, NYAO!" Kagome suddenly shouted, knocking Miroku over and packing up her bag in an instant. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha, but I can't stay! I have to study and train and get ready and… ARGH! I can't do this all! I'm sorry; I have to go! Sota! Come on, nyao! Time to go! Good-bye!" Kagome stood up, threw her bag over her shoulder, and started to run out of the house.  
  
"KAGOME! WAIT!" Shippou called out, running.  
  
"Kagome turned and bent down, petting Shippou on the head. "Shippou, I'm sorry, but I can't stay! I have all these tests to study for and… and…"  
  
"Kagome, child, might there be something you're forgetting about?" Kaede asked.  
  
"Nyao?" The girl stopped and realized what she had just said. She turned her head back and looked at the tail coming out of the back of her and rubbed the cat ears on the top of her. "I'm still part cat, that's right! I can't go to school like this! If anyone saw, I'd be utterly humiliated! I'd never be able to live it down! Or worse, if someone found out they were real, they might call the government and they might want to do so many medical experiments! But if I skip finals, I'll have to repeat the entire year! What do I do, nyao?! Wait, I have an idea!"  
  
Kagome put her backpack down and pulled out a baseball cap and an extra-long tan skirt. "I don't normally wear these, since they don't look so great, but…" She placed the hat over her ears and wrapped the skirt over her existing skirt, hiding her tail within it. "There! Now no one can—" Her ears popped back off, knocking her hat onto the ground and her tail poked out from her skirt. "…I'm dead…"  
  
Shippou, trying to be helpful, had a suggestion. "Kagome, if you're so worried about Inuyasha, though, why don't you just take him with you?"  
  
"WHAT?!" Inuyasha screamed, finally coming to his senses. "I'm not about to go to some other world to be treated like some sort of accident victim!"  
  
Kagome put a finger to her lip, thinking. "Actually, that's not a bad idea, Shippou."  
  
Sango blinked confusedly. "It isn't? What was that you just said two minutes ago about people seeing those cat ears and going crazy?"  
  
"Nyao? Oh, right… I forgot about that…" Kagome mentioned.  
  
Inuyasha growled. "Don't I get a say in this?"  
  
Shippou snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea! I know how we can hide your ears and tails, so Inuyasha can still go!"  
  
The hanyou clenched his fist. "NYAO! Is ANYBODY listening to me?!"  
  
"But how can I hide these things at all? I tried to cover them up, but it either looks suspicious or whatever I wear falls off," stated Kagome curiously.  
  
Shippou nodded in agreement. "That's true, but I might know just the magic trick to help you. Now…" He took a little leaf out of his pocket and threw it at Kagome. "FOX FIRE!"  
  
A cloud of smoke appeared around Kagome and quickly vanished. As soon as it was gone, her cat ears and tail were gone, with only her normal, human ears showing.   
  
"Shippou! That's… amazing!" Sango exclaimed.  
  
"I can… still feel that they're there, but… now I can go back to my time, take the finals, and not have to repeat the year, nyao!" Kagome cried.  
  
"Fine, go then, nyao," Inuyasha grunted, trying not to show he felt hurt.  
  
"Inuyasha, aren't you coming with me?" Kagome asked hopefully.  
  
Inuyasha turned his head to one side and sat up slowly. "Why would I want to go with you to your own little world, doing nothing all day for a week?"  
  
"Inuyasha you have nothing to do here, either. In fact, should a demon attack, you'd be in no shape to—" Sango began to explain.  
  
Inuyasha interrupted with, "I told you, I don't have any reason to go to her world! I'm perfectly fine here. I can still walk, I bet."  
  
Kagome was going to rebut, but decided that since she was the one to injure him, she'd let him off with this one. "Well, then, Inuyasha… I hope… you get better soon. I'll see the rest of you in a week or so. Come on, Sota." She lifted up her bag again, taking Sota by the hand, and left the hut waving back to Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kaede. She turned her head back to give Inuyasha one more look of guilt, sorrow, and irritation. "So stubborn… but, I suppose he's right. He wouldn't have much to do in my world, and I doubt it's make it easier for me to study…"  
  
"Sis, who are you talking to?" Sota asked.  
  
"Oh, be quiet. I—Oh, wait, before we go, let's go get my bicycle. I parked it a little ways outside the village before we set out to rescue you. I'll want to practice with it for my gym final at home…"  
  
A half hour or so later, Kagome and Sota, riding on her bike, approached the well and prepared to jump through it together. They came out on the other side, and lifted all of their supplies out of the well. Sota's eyes seemed to be filled with joy. "Ah, I thought I'd never see home again!"  
  
Kagome sighed. "I know what you mean. I think before I study I'm going to take a nice LONG bath."  
  
Kagome parked her bike and headed for the front door. "Still…" she thought, "I'm really sorry I couldn't stay with Inuyasha through his injuries. I hope he's getting some rest back at Kaede's hut…"  
  
She opened the front door and walked straight towards the kitchen in front of her.  
  
"So, what took you so long?" asked Inuyasha, holding a bowl in his hand and sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
Kagome fell to the floor in exasperation. "INUYASHA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! YOU TOLD ME JUST HALF AN HOUR AGO YOU WEREN'T COMING! And… what… happened to you?" She ran to a window and looked outside. "It's not night, and it's not a new moon tonight… But…"  
  
Inuyasha pointed to his human ears, and noted the lack of any other ears, cat or dog. "Shippou's spell. He made my real ears, tail, and fangs vanish and gave me human ears. Well, they look human, anyway, but they're just an illusion. No one would ever suspect I'm not a real human."  
  
"H-hey, but, then what are you even doing here?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Hey, YOU were the one who offered. I… just… got bored of seeing everyone back there and I figured I'd just come. Besides, who knows when you'd need me, anyway? We both know how helpless you are without me." Inuyasha boasted and bragged, trying to sound tough, but Kagome just smiled, knowing he was actually just worried about her.  
  
Kagome's mother entered the room. "Oh, Kagome! You're home? Inuyasha here showed up nearly half an hour ago. I gave him some ramen in the meantime while he waited for you. Did you both need something?"  
  
Kagome shook her head and then hugged her mother. "No, it's nothing. I just have finals this week, so I had to come back to study. And Inuyasha… errr… got a bit of an injury and I suppose he's here for rest…"  
  
"Well, Inuyasha is welcome here anytime, so don't worry about that. And when I heard you were coming back, I drew you a bath," her mother said cheerfully.  
  
Kagome smiled and hugged her mom before heading off to the bath. "Thanks, mom, you're the best."  
  
"Oh, but I've been wondering," Kagome's mother turned to say, "Inuyasha, wasn't your hair white? And what happened to your ears?"  
  
Kagome panicked. If she explained her whole story, her mother would surely figure out about their shared problem, and that couldn't possibly end well. "Errm… it's a long story. But… Inuyasha is trying to blend in a little better, since he might be here for a while, so…"  
  
"Ah, I see," her mother said, smiling, eyeing Inuyasha who was busy eating his food. "Well, then, perhaps I can help with that later.. but, in any case, go take your bath. You have finals to study for, after all."  
  
Kagome stared at the clock on the wall. "5 o'clock?! Oh no, you're right!" She rushed off to the bath.  
  
Kagome closed her math textbook and sighed. "There's no way I can survive this if I only have tonight to study…" She took her invisible tail in her hands and wringed it out, having learned the hard way how hard it was to try cat hair, even if you can't see it. "Now I know why Buyo spends all day cleaning…"  
  
"So, what's the big deal about these 'final' things, anyway?" asked Inuyasha, sitting on Kagome's bed, randomly flipping through the pages of a textbook.  
  
Kagome snatched the book from him and looked at herself. "Well, if I DON'T do well on them, I'm going to have to take the same school year all over again. I've got math, Japanese, English, Biology, Gym… Argh! It's just too much!"  
  
"Well, no matter what, you're still coming back with us… right?" Inuyasha asked, trying to hide the worry in his voice.  
  
Kagome sighed. "Of course I will. It just might mean I'll have LESS time to spend there… But, I suppose all of my subjects except for math I'm doing well on." She quickly turned around to face Inuyasha. "Say, one thing still bothers me. How did you get here?"  
  
"Through the well, duh," came his sarcastic reply.  
  
"I know that! I mean, how did you get TO the well and in here? You could hardly sit up when I saw you last." Kagome remembered back to before she left.  
  
"I told you, I'm half-demon, which means I heal fast. Isn't that enough?" he said sarcastically.  
  
Kagome sighed. "So, your back is completely better? You can walk and run just fine?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Oh, so you wouldn't mind if I did… this?" She gently put her hand on his back and applied a trite amount of pressure.  
  
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"  
  
"I thought so," she said, smiling knowingly. "You may be half-demon, and you may have been able to force yourself to walk over here, but you're still injured. Now, get into my bed and go to sleep. You need to take care of that back."  
  
Inuyasha stared down at the pink sheets beneath him. "Sleep? Here? No way. I sleep on the ground outside, like I always do."  
  
"Inuyasha, don't be stubborn. It's for your own good," Kagome debated.  
  
"ME? Stubborn? Look who's talking!" Inuyasha grunted.  
  
"HEY! I'm doing this for YOU! I'm giving up MY bed so YOU can get better sooner!" she said, with quite a bit of annoyance.  
  
"And I'M telling you, I like sleeping on the ground. I don't need a bed. I've been doing it for all my life. Besides, you just said it's YOUR bed. YOU sleep in it! You're not the one who likes sleeping on the ground," he said, finally calming down.  
  
"Inuyasha, so this is also about me?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Well, I still like the floor better, but I'm not going to take your bed from you," he said almost kindly.  
  
"I see… well… how about we make a deal. This is just for one night, long enough for you to get well enough to at least walk and for me to get enough rest to not pass out from exhaustion tomorrow," said Kagome. "I'll sleep in my bed, and you will sleep at the bottom or a side of the bed. Just for tonight, because I'm getting too tired to argue."  
  
Inuyasha just sighed. "Fine, fine, whatever." He rolled over against the wall, still facing it and sat still.  
  
Kagome lifted up her covers and slipped underneath. She reached for her light and shut it off. "Good night, Inuyasha."  
  
Meanwhile, back in Kaede's hut…  
  
"So, it's only temporary?" Sango asked Shippou, taking a sip of tea.  
  
The small fox nodded. "Well, the effects of my spell lasted about two days or so when I first tried it a few das ago, but what I tried it on was much smaller, so maybe it'll last a day or so at the most."  
  
Sango turned to Miroku. "Don't you think Kagome should know this?"  
  
Miroku shook his head. "It's no big deal. When it happens, she'll probably come back, as will Inuyasha. Besides, we can't exactly go and tell her, and, besides, what's the worst that could happen?"  
  
Morning came and Kagome's alarm clock rang. She slammed her hand down upon it to shut it off. However, she could still hear something; someone was talking right outside her window.  
  
"Okay, THIS last one will work for SURE!" Kagome could tell now it was her grandfather. She got out of bed and opened her blinds to see her grandfather standing in front of Inuyasha, holding a few pieces of paper. He threw them at Inuyasha and then tapped them with a long staff in his hand before they could even fall. The paper stuck to Inuyasha's face. "Ha! I told you, the Higurashi Seal Spell ALWAYS works. You are paralyzed fully and cannot move at all, just like any demon caught within its awesome power!"  
  
Inuyasha lifted his hand and took the paper off effortlessly. "What are you talking about? I can move just fine."  
  
Kagome's ojii-chan picked up the paper, his eyes overflowing with tears. "But… that's not possible! This seal… has protected our family shrine for generations upon generations!"  
  
Kagome giggled at the sight and moved on to her bath.  
  
When Kagome came down to breakfast, Sota was already at the table, eating. "Kagome, how long do you think Inuyasha can stay for?" he asked, his eyes filled with hope.  
  
"Kaede says it will take about a week for him to heal. Who knows if he'll stick around that long, though. I think he will."  
  
Sota's face brightened. "I'm glad. By the way, didn't you tell that guy Hojo you'd meet him outside school early on the first day of finals?"  
  
Kagome's pupils shrunk. "Oh my God, you're right! I'm late! I'm late!" She threw a piece of bread into her mouth for a quick breakfast. She ran out the door, hugging and kissing her mother as she went. "Bye mom!"  
  
"Have a nice day, dear," came the reply.  
  
"Bye, ojii-chan," she said as she lured past her grandfather, who was too busy analyzing his old shield spells to notice.  
  
"See you later, Inuyasha, get better soon!" she said running past Inuyasha who sat up against the gate to the shrine.  
  
"Eh? Why is she in such a hurry?" he asked.  
  
"Kagome?" Sota said, walking up with his backpack strapped on. "I'm going out to talk to a few friends before school, and she's doing the same. She promised to meet this boy Hojo outside the school before class started."  
  
Inuyasha's invisible ears perked up and he looked towards him nervously. "Did you say she was… meeting a boy?"  
  
Sota nodded. "Yeah, I think it's obvious that he likes her. He's always giving her stuff to cure whatever sickness she fakes to go through the well with you. He's kind of dense and doesn't realize that Kagome is just making excuses. And when Kagome thinks of him, she gets all flustered, too. I mean, can you imagine anyone getting so worked up about something like that?" He looked to his left and Inuyasha was gone. "Inuyasha? Inuyasha, where'd you go?"  
  
Inuyasha walked slowly down the street, as fast as his injuries would let him. "Dammit, how could she just… ARGH! That idiot! At least I can smell her path…"  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha?"  
  
"Eh?" He turned around to see Kagome's mother.  
  
"Before you go out onto the street, I thought I could help you with your problem, just a little bit…"  
  
"Kagome!" came the cry of Eri, one of Kagome's friends.  
  
"Eri! Yuka! Ayumi! Hi there," Kagome welcomed the sight of her three associates.  
  
"So, you finally got over that case of whooping cough?" asked Ayumi.  
  
"Grandpa…" Kagome muttered under her breath. "Ahem… yes, I'm fine now. I'm here after all, am I not?"  
  
"And you're going to see Hojo?" Ayumi asked. Kagome nodded.  
  
"I promised to meet him, after all. Did you think I'd break a promise?"  
  
The girls looked at each other in painful agreement. "Well, you have stood him up countless times," said Eri.  
  
Kagome winced, realizing the validity of these words. "Oh… Right. Well, not today. Now, come on. Let's get today's finals over with…"  
  
As Kagome walked to the school, though, she was unaware of a dark figure watching her, lurking from above…  
  
Later that day…  
  
"So, how did you do, Kagome?" asked Hojo, walking casually alongside Kagome out of the school, Kagome's girl friends in tow.  
  
Kagome said, "Well, today was all of my language classes, which I do well in, anyway, so, I think I did fine. But I'm dead when math comes along tomorrow, nyao…"  
  
"Eh?" Hojo and the girls said in synchronization. Kagome covered her mouth in shock. She didn't just… And she was getting so good at controlling it, too!  
  
"Kagome, that's so CUTE!" Yuka squealed, her face turning slightly red, clenching her fists together.  
  
"You sounded just like a cat!" Eri added.  
  
Hojo just smiled with his usual naivety. "That's rather endearing, Kagome. Where did you learn to do that?"  
  
Kagome's face turned completely red. "Okay, Kagome, think, think…" she mumbled to herself. "You've lied your way out of worse situations before…" She came up with a semi-plausible lie. "Errr… it's actually just a bad habit, nyao, see? I've been… hanging around this guy, see, and he has this… ummm… this really bad habit of sounding like a cat sometimes. I suppose I just picked it up sometime, nyao…"  
  
"Ah, I see," said Hojo. "I know what you mean. I know this friend who always used to start a debate by going, 'actually, I—'"  
  
Kagome began to tune him out at that point and just sighed, half in relief, half in fright. "How could he really have bought that…?"  
  
Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, though, stopped for a minute and thought about what she said.  
  
"Picked it up…" Yuka began.  
  
"From a boy?" continued Ayumi.  
  
"So," asked Eri, "could this boy be the boyfriend Kagome spoke of? The violent one that threatened to kill anyone who tried to get her?"  
  
"Then again, would a deranged boy like that be so cute as to mew like a kitten?" Yuka contemplated.  
  
"Kagome, who is this boy?" stated Eri.  
  
"Errr… what boy?" Kagome asked nervously, continuing to walk along the road leading away from the school.  
  
As Ayumi began to speak, a nearby tree began to rustle, but there was no wind around them, so how could it? The group stared at it closely for a moment, but nothing else moved within it. They shrugged their shoulders and continued. "So, who is this boy who spoke like a cat?" Ayumi finally asked.  
  
"Is it that boy you told us about before?" asked Eri.  
  
"Hmmm? What boy?" questioned Hojo innocently.  
  
Kagome's face reddened once more, so she turned her back to them all to hide it. She just waved her hand, dismissing it as nothing. "Oh, just some idiot I know. No one important!"  
  
Suddenly, a lowly growl was heard and the tree behind them rustled again, but much more violently this time. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped, but the next tree in line began to rustle, as if a bird was flying at a blinding speed from one to the other down the street.  
  
"What was THAT?" Eri asked.  
  
"It couldn't… I mean, he wouldn't…" Kagome's mind filled with a few obvious possibilities. "Still, I mean, he wouldn't be so stupid or stoop so low as to…" She turned to her friends. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go home," Kagome abruptly stated, turning her back to the group and preparing to run.  
  
"Wait, where are you going?" Ayumi asked.  
  
"Sorry, no time! I really, really have to get home!" Kagome said, starting to dash off.  
  
"WAIT!" Hojo yelled, grabbing her hand tightly, holding her back. Kagome turned around and looked into his eyes. They were filled with concern and… some other feeling?  
  
Kagome's heart began to race. His hand felt so warm in hers… "What… is it?" She asked, her voice dying with nervousness.  
  
"I've wanted to give you something for the longest time, but I couldn't…" he said. Her heart pounded faster. Her face turned redder. Her friends leaned over in anticipation.  
  
He held up a bottle of a medicine. "It's a therapeutic bath salt designed to help get rid of any scars from chicken pox, like your grandfather said you had last week."  
  
Their faces hit the dirt. "Errm… thanks, Hojo…" Kagome said, taking the bottle and heading down the road.  
  
"…They're hopeless…" Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi all said at once, sighing, as Hojo just waved good-bye, completely clueless as to the mistakes he had just made.  
  
"Grrr… If I found out that idiot has been out in PUBLIC, when he's supposed to be RESTING…" Kagome screamed to herself. "Half-demon, human, dog, cat, healthy, broken back, no matter what, he's dead." She ran through the gate to the shrine, threw open the front door, and yelled, "MOOOOOOM!"  
  
"Yes, what is it dear?" her mother answered calmly walking to the door. "Did you have a nice day at school?"  
  
"No time for that, mom! Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome got to the point. "Where has he been all day?"  
  
"Oh, he's just gone for a little walk. Don't you worry, dear, I made sure he stayed out of trouble," her mother reassured.  
  
Kagome looked behind her, thinking. "Just a walk… But in the clothes he was wearing? Then again, he at least LOOKS human right now… and I doubt Inuyasha could be climbing trees with his back like THAT…" Kagome took a sigh of relief. "So, where is he now?"  
  
"Well, last I saw him, he was at the entrance to the shrine. I don't know if he's here or not. Don't worry about him too much. He acts tough and rough, but it's easy to see he's not quite like that underneath the surface," Kagome's mother said smiling.  
  
Kagome giggled. "Yeah, you're right. Anyway, Inuyasha must be bored out of his mind. I think I'll wait for him outside, then."  
  
"All right, then just be back inside in time for dinner."  
  
"I will, thanks mom!" Kagome put her backpack down on the ground and slid open the door once more. She waved hello to her grandfather who was busy sweeping the grounds and then lied down on the bench beside the gate to the shrine. She let out a relaxed sigh and leaned back and closed her eyes, folding her arms over her chest.  
  
"So, I'm just some idiot, huh? Not important, nyao?" Inuyasha's voice came from the tree directly above.  
  
"INUYASHA?!" Kagome's eyes snapped open and she sat up almost instantly. She turned her head around, gazing up into the tree, but she could not see him at all. "Where are you?! What are you doing?! Get down here, nyao!"  
  
The tree rustled, but Inuyasha did not jump down. "Well, let me tell you, I ain't no idiot!"  
  
Kagome sighed. "So, you WERE listening in. I thought that was you. Inuyasha, it was only an excuse, nyao. I didn't really mean it was YOU. I just made it all up."  
  
There was a brief pause as a light wind blew by. Inuyasha hesitated but then said, "So, you don't think I'm an unimportant idiot? Not that I CARE what you think, of course…"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Keep talking like that and I'll take back what I'm about to say, but… no, I don't think that. Now, come on. Let's get you inside."  
  
Kagome got up off the bench and headed back to the house. But there was no movement in the tree. "What are you waiting for, Inuyasha? Hurry up!"  
  
The sun was just beginning to set, leaving the sky a light yellow. Inuyasha stared out at the sun for a moment. "No, you go on in yourself. It's getting dark, Kagome. I'll just sleep in this tree tonight."  
  
Kagome stomped her foot angrily on the cement. "No way! We argued over this last night, and we settled it. You're sleeping on a bed! Come down now!"  
  
"NO! MAKE ME!" Inuyasha retorted angrily.  
  
"WHAT?! How DARE you! After I let you stay—Don't make me say IT! O-S-U-W-A—"  
  
"WAIT! NO! Don't! …Just turn around, nyao," requested Inuyasha.  
  
"Nyao? Why? Are you planning on running away?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Of course not!" Inuyasha snapped. "Just, don't look at me."  
  
Kagome grew tired of this game. "Look, Inuyasha, I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't get out of that tree and show yourself right now, I'm going to take you down the hard way, and you'll probably need another week of recovery."  
  
"All right," Inuyasha said with a deep sigh. He slowly walked along a branch to the tip until he stood in plain view on the tree.  
  
Kagome giggled. Then she snickered. Then she fell to the ground laughing.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want…" Inuyasha snorted. "Poke fun of the hanyou…" His cheeks reddened deeply.  
  
Inuyasha was clad head to toe in a black boys' school uniform. The long black pants, black jacket with white buttons, the black shoes… And considering Shippou's disguise, he looked completely like another human boy. Someone she'd even expect to be walking the halls of her school.  
  
Kagome sat up and sighed happily. "Oh, don't worry about it, Inuyasha. It suits you."  
  
"What does that mean?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"It means it looks cute on you," she said bluntly, walking towards the house.  
  
Inuyasha's face brightened instantly. "CUTE?! WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT, YOU DUMB GIRL?!"  
  
"In case you didn't notice, it was a compliment," Kagome yelled back, losing her patience. She wasn't about to put up with another argument. "Now, just come down and let's go inside."  
  
Inuyasha sweated a little. "Hey, it wasn't *MY* idea to dress this way, anyway! Your mother said I'd attract too much attention in my normal clothes so she told me to wear those when I left! Anyway, I told you, I'll stay here… I'll just stay in this tree for now. Just go inside already!"  
  
Suddenly, something occurred to Kagome. "Inuyasha," she began, "you can't get down, can you?"  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! I can get down anytime I want to! You think jumping a few feet is hard for a demon? Is your brain broken or somethin'?"  
  
Kagome snickered. "Well, normally that'd be as easy as taking a few steps, but with your back like this…"  
  
"Your brain really IS busted! I'm half-DEMON, I heal fast!"  
  
"Yes, yes, we know," said Kagome. "But has it REALLY healed?"  
  
Inuyasha curled his hand into a fist. "Yes, it is! I'll show you!" He crouched down and pushed off the branch, not just trying to land on the ground but make a tremendous leap from the tree to Kagome.  
  
"Wait, you idiot!" Kagome screamed. "I didn't mean for—"  
  
Inuyasha landed beside her, safe and sound, as he always did.  
  
"Keh! I told you I could do—"  
  
CRACK!  
  
Inuyasha fell to the ground.  
  
Kagome tucked him into his half of the bed. "You're such an idiot…"  
  
"…Shut up already…" Inuyasha grunted, his face still demonstrating the pain felt upon injuring his back once more. He just grunted irritably as he watched Kagome studying from a textbook at her desk.  
  
Kagome's alarm clock went off again the next morning, and again she awoke to find Inuyasha missing. But what difference did it make as long as he stayed in the house?  
  
She stood up, rubbing her eyes and gazing. No Ojii-chan, no Inuyasha there today. Feeling she needed to wake up for her history exam that day, Kagome immediately headed for the shower. "Nyao, nyao, nyao…" she went as she walked into the bathroom, but something seemed a little wrong. The walls of the shower were wet, as if they had been just used. But she was the only one of her family who ever used it this early. However, the great mysteries of the shower would have to wait. She had a final to take that day.  
  
As she headed out the door and down the steps of the shrine, a familiar voice came from behind her.  
  
"Forgetting someone?" Inuyasha said.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome turned around and saw he stood fully clothed in his school uniform. "What are you doing out here? And why are you dressed like that?"  
  
"I'm coming with you."  
  
"…HUH?! NYAO! To school?! But… you can't…! No way!" Kagome protested.  
  
"Nyao, Kagome, I came here only because YOU were here. I'm NOT going to just sit around all day while you're gone!" Inuyasha crossed his arms. The look in his eyes said there was no way he'd negotiate.  
  
Kagome sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just don't kill anyone or make your injuries worse." She hoisted her backpack higher onto her shoulders and set out with Inuyasha following closely behind.  
  
After a few minutes, Inuyasha picked up his pace a little until he was walking a little in front of her. This let Kagome notice the drops of water falling from the tips of the hanyou's long, black hair. She also picked up a familiar, though unpleasant scent. "Ugh, that's Sota's shampoo... and it's really strong, too!" She recalled back to walking into the bathroom, spotting the wet walls. "Hey, wait a minute, Inuyasha, did you use my shower this morning?"  
  
"Shower?" he looked back and blinked, appearing quite innocent. "Oh, you mean that small room that shoots water at you? Yeah, I used it. As soon as I woke up, your mother walks in and throws me in there, saying I need to be all fresh and clean for my big date, whatever that is, or some crap like that."  
  
Kagome sighed. "Date?" Her cheeks reddened. "My mother may be sweet and giving, but she's crazy. Well, whatever. It doesn't matter. Just promise me next time that my mother has a temporary loss of sanity and makes you do that again that you won't use Sota's shampoo." She covered her nose with her hands. "I can't stand that stuff.  
  
This disturbed Inuyasha a little bit. He didn't actually use shampoo. He didn't even know what it was! If he didn't recognize an odd scent on himself as the same that was in the shower, he'd have no clue as to what she was talking about. "But, that's so faint... for a human, anyway," he thought to himself. "I knew her sense of smell would increase a little bit when she became half-cat, but not that it would become this great..." It bothered him a bit, but he quickly put it in the back of his mind, focusing on other things that bugged him.  
  
"I swear, I don't know how you people wear shoes. They're such a pain in the ass," he whined.  
  
Kagome sighed. "He may not look like his usual self, but he still talks like his old self, unfortunately..."  
  
"By the way, Inuyasha, how is your back doing?" Kagome asked as they nearly reached the school. "I was afraid you did too much damage last night when you leapt out of the tree... That was quite stupid..." She muttered the last part under her breath, forgetting Inuyasha's hearing was well above average.  
  
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath. "Baka onna."  
  
"Hey, I heard that!" Kagome screamed.  
  
"Yeah? Well, you called me an idiot first!" Inuyasha turned his head. "So, I guess her hearing has improved too. Just damn great..." He sighed. "And how many times do I have to tell you I'm fine?"  
  
"How many times do you think I'll believe that same lie? You say that every day and you're still hurt!!!" Kagome's patience was wearing thin as paper.  
  
"Well, if you know what I'm gonna say, why do you even ASK?!" Snapped Inuyasha.  
  
"Maybe because I think maybe for one second, for once, you'll show some intelligence and enough kindness to tell the truth!" She curled her hands into fists.  
  
He growled lowly. "I don't feel like dealing with this crap, okay? So, it hurts to walk," he said giving in.  
  
Kagome's eyes went from glaring in anger to more sympathetic. "A lot?"  
  
He shook his head. "Nah, just a little. Feels like my spine is mostly back to normal, but my ribs are still broken."  
  
Kagome hung her head low, clasping her hands together. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. It's my fault you were injured. I guess I shouldn't be so hard on you, always using that subduing spell..."  
  
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT YOU SHOULDN'T!" he yelled, but then he quickly calmed himself. "But don't worry about it. It's not the first time you've thrown my back out," he referred to the time he attempted to seal the well with a giant boulder, only to have Kagome "SIT!" him until it smashed his back. "And I think with the battle wounds I've had, a little pain as I walk is nothing."  
  
She nodded slowly, almost paining her to agree. "I suppose you're right."  
  
"Oh, my gosh, Kagome, that's so ADORABLE!" came the loud screeching of Eri, her friends, and plenty of other school girls.  
  
They stood in front of the entrance to school as kids all over crowded and crowded around them.  
  
"Ummm… what is?" Kagome asked. Her ears twitched with anxiety.  
  
"Are they real?" asked one girl. The girls began to surround Inuyasha and the boys, Kagome.  
  
"I've never seen anything like them before!"  
  
"They're so realistic!"  
  
"She's so cute!"  
  
"He's drop dead gorgeous!"  
  
"I wanna touch them!"  
  
Inuyasha's eyes twitched. "Kagome, what kind of weird friends do you have? What do they want?"  
  
Her face twitched in fear as well. "I'm not sure… I don't even know half these people!"  
  
Ayumi giggled in front of her friend. "Where did you get those cute cat ears, Kagome? Yesterday you talk like a cat, and today you come dressed like one and it's not Halloween! They even hide your human ears! And who's your handsome friend? Is this the—"  
  
By this point, Inuyasha and Kagome's eyes shrank and they stopped paying attention to the million voices around them and looked into their reflections in a puddle at their feet.  
  
"No… human ears?!" Kagome said allowed. "They're… back! My cat ears… tail…"  
  
"My fangs can be seen, too… Aw, crap!" Inuyasha said.  
  
Kagome sweated badly. "Errr… ahhh… excuse me, I just remembered, I left my finals… registration forms… at home! Come Inuyasha, let's get it before school begins, QUICKLY!" She grabbed his hand and quickly dragged him through the medium sized crowd and up the hill.  
  
"HEY! OW! Stop it! Quit dragging!" he complained.  
  
"I never thought I'd hear THAT from YOU…" she said, finally out of view.  
  
Inuyasha turned towards a store display window and pulled back on his lips, staring at his fangs. "That idiot… Shippou never mentioned that the effects of his spell were temporary! Fangs, ears, tail… it's all visible again!" He clenched his free fist into a ball. "Damn that little—"  
  
"Now, now, Inuyasha, don't go blaming Shippou," she politely requested. "I'm sure he didn't know about any of this." She stared at her watch. "But we have 15 minutes before school starts! We need to get to the well, get to Shippou, see if he can recast the spell, and get back in that time! Ugh, but even if I had my bike, with your back out, we'd never make it in ti—AHHH!"  
  
Inuyasha grasped Kagome by the hand, yanked her quickly to himself, and, in one fluid motion, threw her onto his injured back. With the speed of lightning, he dashed off, heading at full speed back to the shrine. Kagome held on for dear life, as she didn't even have time to wrap her legs around his waist to hold on. Had Inuyasha not been a hanyou, she probably would have snapped his neck or suffocated him, with the grip she had on his throat.  
  
It took only a matter of minutes for them to be outside the shrine, next to the well. Inuyasha slid open the door and moved to the well.  
  
"WAIT JUST A SECOND!" Kagome screamed, stomping her right foot, holding her right hand in a fist before her. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"  
  
"What the hell was what?" Asked Inuyasha, lowering his ears. "You said we had to get back to the well and I took you there! So, what, now you're going to start yelling at me for HELPING?! KEH! Baka…"  
  
"You just told me it hurt just to WALK today, and last night you made your back even worse! Now you're running like your old self, minutes later? Do you WANT to end up severing your spine or something? How stupid are you?!"  
  
"No, how stupid are YOU?!" Inuyasha screamed back, still moving towards the well. They continued to argue as they entered it. "I'm half-demon! I heal at incredible rates! I'm mean, for God's sake, I've had swords thrown through me that healed in less than a day!"  
  
The two of them leaped into the well, but continued to argue even as they went from one time period to the other.  
  
"Look, I've been WANTNG to run for so long! It's so friggin' boring just sitting around waiting for NOTHING!" He grumbled, climbing out of the well. "And I still feel FINE. I think running did me some GOOD, so, just BUTT OUT OF MY BUSINESS!"  
  
That struck a deep blow to Kagome. She covered her mouth with her hands as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Butt… out?" She began to whimper, her ears flattening out and her tail going limp.  
  
"Eh?" Inuyasha was struck by how much damage that one little line did, sitting down on the edge of the well. "Kagome, don't cry… I meant… I mean I DIDN'T mean…"  
  
"EVER THOUGHT MAYBE I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU, NYAO?!" Kagome shouted into the ears of Inuyasha, pushing him until he nearly fell back into the well. "Maybe I don't LIKE seeing you hurt! Ever thought I feel GUILTY about hurting you in the first place? I know I want to pass school and take those finals, but I think I'd rather do it some other way that putting your back out again! Thought of that? HMMM? NYAO! EVER THOUGHT OF THAT YOU INSENSITIVE JERK?!"  
  
Inuyasha was quite stunned by this sudden outburst, at a total loss for words for a moment as Kagome sobbed into her hands.  
  
"Kagome, I… I didn't… I'm… s-s-sorry…" Inuyasha confessed, almost choking on the last word.  
  
"You… You are?" Kagome asked, somewhat surprised that the hanyou would lose such dignity as to confess that.  
  
Inuyasha snorted and lifted his nose high into the air, trying to remain apathetic about her feelings, but his reddening cheeks showed how much of it was just show. "Yeah, well, don't take that as a sign I'm getting soft. I just don't want to see you blubbering all week."  
  
Kagome looked him right in the eyes as he lowered his head, gazing right back up at her, but he quickly threw his head back up into his pseudo superiority look. She smiled gently, understanding how he was just trying to save face. "All right, Inuyasha. Let's just forget this and wait for Shippou to come here," she said, offering him her hand.  
  
Inuyasha looked at her palm for a moment, deliberating whether or not to accept it, until he decided to do so and stood up. "Don't bother looking for Shippou, though, he's—"  
  
"Coming, I know," said Kagome. "In fact…"  
  
"KAGOME!" Shippou tried to pounce onto Kagome's back, but she quickly spun around, leaped at him and grabbed a hold of him in her arms, dropping down to the ground again, smothering the baby demon. He didn't seem to mind at all, though, and enjoyed the warm embrace, hugging Kagome's torso as tight as his little arms could. "Oh, Kagome, Kagome, I missed you! It seems like you've been gone forever! But you're back! Kagome! Kagome! I'd know your scent anywhere!"  
  
Kagome sat up and scratched the little Kitsune behind the ears and then tickled his stomach. "I missed you, too, Shippou, but, actually, I'm not here to stay for a while, I'm just—"  
  
Inuyasha interrupted her speech, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome, how in the hell did you know Shippou was coming?" He stared her in the eyes with a look of amazement.  
  
Kagome, though, returned his look with a confused glance. "Isn't it obvious?" She pointed to an ear upon her head, still hugging Shippou. "I heard him running. You'd have to be deaf to miss it. I also thought I smelt him a little."  
  
"Well, yeah, for a HANYOU or YOUKAI!" he argued. "I mean, I can hear your heartbeat from here! But you are a human. Even with cat ears that shouldn't be enough to here that damn runt from—"  
  
"You can come out, Miroku, Sango," said Kagome, interrupting Inuyasha's ranting.  
  
The two popped out of the bushes and stepped forward, embarrassed that they had been caught. "How did you know we were there?" asked Miroku.  
  
Kagome spun around to greet them. "What, you were really hiding? I mean, could you have been talking any louder?"  
  
"Ummm… but… Kagome-chan, we were whispering… I swear!" said Sango.  
  
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about!" exclaimed Inuyasha. "Even if that potion gave you cat ears, there's no way you should be able to hear THAT well and especially not smell things like that!"  
  
"Hmmm… this is quite odd…" said the monk.  
  
"You think so, too?" Inuyasha said.  
  
Miroku shook his head. "No, I'm talking about two other things." He started to chuckle. "Well, first of all…" he laughed again, as did Sango. "Inuyasha, what exactly… are you wearing?"  
  
He and Sango broke out into laughter. Veins began bursting all over Inuyasha's face. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" He sat down on the ground, his arms and legs crossed. "It wasn't my idea, you know. Kagome's mother wanted me to blend in better. And it's uncomfortable as all hell. I don't know how you people wear shoes. They're killing me."  
  
Even Kagome and Shippou were laughing by then. Miroku tried to hold back his laughter long enough to continue. "Well, moving on, something more serious has come to my attention. I'm referring to, of course, the fact that you're both here together, were completely alone for quite some time, and yet you're both still breathing. In fact, you're not even ARGUING! Maybe you were accusing Kagome of a few things, but that's in regard to her newfound abilities which could even be considered compliments. You two are getting along surprisingly well."  
  
"What are you getting at, monk?" Kagome asked suspiciously, giving him an icy cold glare into the eyes. "We can get along just fine!" she and Inuyasha said in unison.  
  
Miroku nodded, holding his chin in one hand as a devious smile came to his lips. "All I'm saying is that, though you do get along well enough most of the time, something must have happened between you two to improve your relationship this much in this short of a time. And I can only think of one thing that could do that." He smiled and patted Inuyasha on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Inuyasha! I didn't think you had it in you!"  
  
Kagome raised the claws on her hand, resisting the urge to split the monk down the middle. Inuyasha was having an even harder time doing so, trembling as he tried to refuse to give in to the increasing urge to kill. "Dammit, you lecher, I didn't—"  
  
But before Inuyasha could finish his death threat, a rather unhappy Sango had already shoved Miroku's face into the dirt and was repeatedly smashing it further down with her foot. "Can't you get your mind out of the gutter for one minute?! The nerve!"  
  
Shippou, still being cradled in Kagome's now clawless arms, seemed a bit confused. "What was Miroku talking about? What did you two do together?"  
  
"WE DIDN'T DO A DAMNED THING, ALL RIGHT?" Inuyasha got up and walked a short ways away, grumbling and swearing under his breath.  
  
"Ah, don't worry about it, Shippou," Kagome said, steering the conversation away, giving the downed monk one last angry glare before requesting the deed from Shippou. "But, could you do us a favor? As you can see, that little spell of yours that hid our ears and tails sort of wore off, so…"  
  
Shippou looked up at Kagome, a little sad. "So, you're really not staying?"  
  
Kagome sighed. "No, I still have 4 more days of finals, counting today… But don't worry! I promise to come back for a few minutes every night so you can recast this spell, so we can talk then, all right?"  
  
Shippou leapt out of Kagome's arms, sat down and began to think. He smiled slyly, upon getting a little idea. "Well, I COULD do that… I wouldn't mind too much… but you have to promise me one little thing…"  
  
Kagome smiled. "Okay, I'll bring you some chocolate bars and potato chips every night."  
  
Shippou leapt back into Kagome's arms, hugging her tight. "Really? You're the best, Kagome!"  
  
Kagome smiled back, petting the baby demon with her left hand. That, however, also showed her the watch on her arm. OH NO! There are only 5 minutes until class! I'm going to be late! Shippou, please…"  
  
"All right, here goes!" Shippou grabbed a leaf and put it on Kagome's head. "FOX FIRE!" Poof. In a quick flash, the ears and tail were gone. He ran over to Inuyasha, who was still a little angry, and did the same. "FOX FIRE!" His ears, tail, and fangs all vanished, and for both of them, they now appeared to have normal human ears.  
  
"Thanks, Shippou," Kagome said, giving him one pet. "I'll see you later. Good-bye, Sango! See you later, too!" She turned to Inuyasha. "Now, you, hurry up or we're going to be late!" Inuyasha didn't say a word; he just turned and climbed down the well beside Kagome.  
  
Sango sighed, looking down the well where the two vanished. She then turned and walked back to the village, making sure to step on the head and back of the poor priest as she did so. Shippou walked up to Miroku and poked him. "Are you okay, Miroku?"  
  
He raised his head and looked innocently at the young Kitsune and asked, "What did I do?" Shippou just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
This time on the way to school, Kagome was not being dragged along. She was running at a maddening pace towards the school. By no means was it anything Inuyasha on a normal day couldn't do, but it was still quite impressive for a human. Inuyasha strode next to her and asked, "Don't want me to carry you?"  
  
"I think… I can make it myself! I'm running pretty fast!" Kagome said, looking at her watch. "I'm going to make it!" She rushed past the crowds, ignoring the calls to her from her friends. "Inuyasha, just stay outside the school for today! I'll see you later!"  
  
"So, Kagome, what was with those ears this morning?" Yuka asked, walking out of the school.  
  
"Yeah, and who was that boy with you? Was that, you know, that maniac boy friend?" asked Ayumi.  
  
"Hey! He's NOT my boyfriend!" Kagome said angrily. "First of all, those ears and tails were just… ummm… leftover Halloween props. We were trying them on when we ran to school and… forgot to take them off. But… errr… Yes, he's the one you heard about…"  
  
"Heard WHAT about me?" said Inuyasha popping up.  
  
Instinctively, the three girls following Kagome backed far, far away. "Oh, please, he's harmless, you three," Kagome reassured them. Though the angry look in Inuyasha's eyes when he heard "harmless" didn't help them feel any less afraid.  
  
Inuyasha's anger turned to confusion when he saw the girls backing away. "What's with them?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, they just think you're going to kill them. They think you're some kind of murderer. They don't always listen to me so well," Kagome said, half mockingly at her friends.  
  
Inuyasha smiled somewhat sadistically at Kagome's friends. He stepped closer, smiling more and more. The girls backed away, but not as fast as he stepped closer.  
  
"Boo."  
  
"AHHHHHHHH!" The three girls grouped together, screaming.  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Inuyasha threw his head back, laughing.  
  
Kagome looked at Inuyasha half-scorning, half-laughing. "Inuyasha… hee hee… That wasn't… hee… very nice!" She walked to Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. "Please, really you three, you can relax. Inuyasha's not a murderer and, while he might be a little rude, he's not a maniac."  
  
"I heard that!" Inuyasha said, though he knew Kagome hadn't tried to hide it.  
  
"He's… not?" Eri asked.  
  
"Of course not!" She sighed. "Look, Inuyasha hasn't ever ACTUALLY threatened human or beast here. Did you actually think I'd hang around an insane, violent killer?" Kagome knew it was being a weasel, as Inuyasha has killed so many demons, but, technically, hasn't really tried to kill any humans from her time. Still, what would the sense be in telling her friends that her friend was a half-demon who had killed all of those demons? They'd probably both be thrown in an insane asylum.  
  
Kagome smiled and whispered, "And between us, he only acts tough on the outside. You wouldn't believe how soft he really is."  
  
Inuyasha growled and curled his hand into a ball. He wasn't exactly enjoying this conversation. "E-e-excuse me, ladies…" He said, trying to sound as calm as possible, despite the veins bursting on his face, before turning and walking to the other side of the school.  
  
"What was that all about?" Ayumi asked.  
  
"Speaking of weird things," stated Eri, "what kind of name is Inuyasha?"  
  
"Yeah, he doesn't exactly LOOK like a dog or a demon, especially considering he was wearing cat stuff this morning," stated Yuka.  
  
"Ummm… that's…. Inuyasha is… ummm…" Kagome thought and thought. "It's… a… nickname! See, he used to live in a small section of Kyoto, a small, unfriendly neighborhood that was nicknamed 'Yasha,' and… his… mother loved dogs, so, Inuyasha was always good with dogs and they followed him everywhere. So, people called him the 'Inu of Yasha,' which was shortened to 'Inuyasha!'"  
  
A sweat drop ran down Inuyasha's face as he leaned against a tree behind the school, using his keen hearing to listen in. His growl grew louder and he took out his claws. "DAMMIT!" He slashed the tree, knocking it over and felling it into the woods. "What kind of idiotic story is that?"  
  
"Really?" asked Eri in disbelief. "What's his real name, then?"  
  
"Uhhh… it's… Yota… Suwa! Right, Yota Suwa!" Kagome declared after searching her mind randomly for a list of names.  
  
The girls smiled. "Kind of a cute name… But then again, I suppose he is kind of cute…" stated Yuka.  
  
"Definitely," the two others nodded in agreement.  
  
"Especially the necklace," continued Eri. "You don't see too many guys wear things like that."  
  
Inuyasha came back from behind the school, and the girls just stared. "So, ready to go already, Kagome?" he asked, ignoring the stares.  
  
"Yeah, I have a lot of studying to do, so, let's go." She turned and waved to her friends. "See you all tomorrow!"  
  
The girls waved back, still staring.  
  
"I wonder if he has a brother…" said Ayumi.  
  
That night, and for the next two days, life progressed much the same. Each morning, Kagome would wake up to find Inuyasha gone, shower, eat breakfast, and run down to the school alongside Inuyasha. His back seemed a little better each day and he was running at his usual speed, though he did not dare try leaping as he usually did. Inuyasha would wait, usually sleeping in a tree, just outside the school for Kagome to finish her tests. Then they'd walk home together, head down the well, and have Shippou re-cast the spell upon them (at the cost of some chocolate, of course), hiding their ears and tails for another day. They'd sit down to dinner and then Kagome would study as Inuyasha would either plop down right on the edge of Kagome's bed and fall asleep or he'd stand outside the shrine, climbing trees and testing out his back. The exception to this was on Thursday night, when Inuyasha came into Kagome's room to rest, when he found she was not at her desk studying.  
  
"Keh. Where'd that girl get to?" he asked.  
  
Thud. His ears twitched (though they could not be seen), and he picked up the sound of an arrow outside hitting a target. "What the hell is she doing now?"  
  
When he walked around the side of the house, sure enough, Kagome had her bow and was aiming at a small target she set up, hitting it each and every time. "Yes!" she declared, successfully hitting the target once more.  
  
"What are you doing? I thought studying was reading those weird magic books with the strange symbols, not fighting," he asked rather bluntly.  
  
She lowered her bow and turned to him. "First of all, those 'strange symbols' are for math, not magic or anything like that. Secondly, I've finished all of my written tests. Tomorrow's exam is gym. Archery, track and field, that sort of stuff. I'm just getting back into practice considering it's been a week since I did any exercise more than running to school."  
  
Kagome lifted her bow for another shot, released the arrow, but it did not fly. She looked back and saw Inuyasha holding the arrow. "Le'mee see that," he asked.  
  
Kagome handed him the bow, Inuyasha took aim, his hands shaking as he aimed, pulled, and released, the arrow landing underneath the target.  
  
"No, no, that's not how you do it, Inuyasha. If you want to hit the target, you have to aim a lot higher than that." She put her hands over his, helping him raise the bow. Inuyasha looked down at her hands over his and his cheeks reddened.  
  
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha! Are you even listening to me?" Kagome said slightly irritated, snapping the hanyou out of his dream-like state. He nodded. He pulled back on the bow, released, and the arrow landed halfway between the bottom edge of the target and the center.  
  
"Keh. Not bad," he said.  
  
Kagome smiled slyly. "For a beginner. And someone who needed so much help."  
  
Inuyasha glared. "Hey, I could have hit that on my next try if I had wanted to on my own!"  
  
"Suuuuuuuure you could have…" Kagome stated sarcastically, still smiling. "Let's just get some sleep. Tomorrow's tests will be easy."  
  
"Hey, come back here, Kagome! I could, too! Watch!" Inuyasha demanded more attention, picking up another arrow and firing it, this one soaring wildly over the target and hitting a tree. He stared at it momentarily as Kagome laughed and then he proceeded to walk into the house grumbling to himself.  
  
"Inuyasha, do the others and me a favor: stick to swords and your claws if you're going to do any more demon fighting," Kagome cracked.  
  
"Oh, shut up." He entered Kagome's room, hopped on her bed, rolled into the corner and fell asleep nearly instantly.  
  
Kagome giggled, watching him. "He's such a little kid sometimes…" She rolled under the covers of her bed, sat up and watched him for a moment, giggling again. She pulled the covers down and then over him, smiling. "Good night, Inuyasha." She reached for the lamp and shut it off.  
  
BRING! BRING!  
  
Kagome's alarm went off one last time. She slammed her hand down on it again and sat up.  
  
But she felt rather…  
  
Heavy.  
  
She felt something wrapped all around her and looked down to see Inuyasha clinging onto her. Her face turned to a bright red in a matter of seconds. "I-I-Inuyasha… what…"  
  
Before she could ask, though, he gave a rather loud snore. "Oh, I see…" she said, her heart slowing down. "He's just sleeping, still… I guess I'm just shocked, since he usually is awake before I am. No sense in waking him now, though. I'll just make sure not to wa—AAAAAAAAAAAKE!" Before Kagome could release herself from the hanyou's grip, he rolled over, his arms still wrapped around her. Kagome quickly found herself being smothered under the covers of her own bed. She struggled to sit up, but he kept pulling her down further.  
  
"INUYASHA, WAKE UP!" she attempted to yell, though it was quite muffled under the covers of her bed, and it took quite a bit of strength to finally get up again. Inuyasha rolled once more, dangling Kagome's head off the bed while lying down on top of her, face first. Finally, his eyes opened and he found himself in that rather awkward position. "Eh? What the hell are you doing, Kagome?" He lifted her head from its dangling position so he could look her in the eyes.  
  
"I was about to ask YOU the same question!" she stated, somewhat irritated. "You nearly strangled me in your sleep!"  
  
"KEH!" Inuyasha laughed, smiling ear to ear. "Almost got beaten by someone who's asleep? That's pretty pathetic!"  
  
Kagome glared and pushed him back, though she was not strong enough to break his grip and he still held on to her. "Oh, shut up."  
  
The door swung open and Kagome's mother walked in, still in her pajamas. "Oh, good, I see you two are getting along quite well. I was afraid with all that noise you were fighting, but I suppose you weren't. Well, have fun, you two!" She closed the door and left.  
  
Kagome and Inuyasha looked at their current position and realized the… "Misunderstanding."  
  
"WAIT! NO!" Kagome screamed.  
  
"YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG!" Inuyasha also shouted.  
  
They leaned over too far and both slammed head first onto the floor. "…Itai."  
  
"So, you're going back after today?" said Kagome's mother.  
  
"Yeah, after Kagome's tests, we're headin' right back," Inuyasha stated between slurps of his food.  
  
"Oh, so soon? Are you sure you won't stay for dinner tonight?" her mother asked.  
  
"Yeah, can't you please stay, Inuyasha? Pretty please?" Sota begged, making his eyes as large and sad as can be.  
  
Inuyasha sighed grumpily. "Fine, fine, whatever. Just quit it with the waterworks, kid."  
  
"ALL RIGHT!" Sota yelled at the news of his hero's returning.  
  
"That's probably a good idea. I have some more supplies to bring back with me, anyway. All right then, Inuyasha, let's get moving," said Kagome, slipping on her backpack. She was dressed in her gym uniform instead of her school usual sailor fuku. "I can't be late, no matter what test it is."  
  
Inuyasha put down his bowl and chopsticks and smiled. "I don't think that'll be a problem today."  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
  
"You'll see," he replied.  
  
"It worries me when you smile like that, Inuyasha…" she turned away from the half-demon and looked to her mother. "But I'm leaving, anyway. All that 'fun' this morning set us back. See you later, mother, Sota!"  
  
"Have a good day at school, dear!" was the reply.  
  
Kagome was up and out the door, with Inuyasha quickly in tow. "All right, Kagome, hop on."  
  
"Eh? What about your back?" asked Kagome.  
  
"Feels like it's healed. You know a hanyou never takes long to heal. I want to get back into doing some work! Hop on!" Kagome did so without replying, just wrapping her arms and legs around Inuyasha's back. He leapt off the shrine floor and onto its gate, then from tree to tree.  
  
"How do you feel?" asked Kagome in mid-air, as Inuyasha went on a detour, jumping from a tree to a neighboring house's roof.  
  
He raised one hand, revealing his claws momentarily. "Keh! Ready to get back and kick some demon ass!"  
  
Kagome sighed. "Looks like Inuyasha is back to his old self… I think I was starting to like the other Inuyasha better…" She hugged tighter, staring at his school uniform. She thought to herself, "One thing still bothers me… How on Earth did mother find out Inuyasha's size and why would she have a male school uniform to begin with…? My family is insane…"  
  
Inuyasha leapt from a series of roofs to the thin, metal supports of a train bridge, and from there to a street below where he quickly came to a stop. "We're almost there." He slipped Kagome from his back to the ground and they walked the short distance to the school to avoid being seen by anyone up in the air.  
  
"On your mark, get set, GO!" The gun fired and Kagome took off like a bolt of lightning from her position on the track for the 100m dash.  
  
Inuyasha sat on the sideline, watching Kagome go. "Damn, she's getting pretty fast. Faster than she even was that day she ended up running to school," he stated as she crossed the finish line far out in first.  
  
"Hey, you!" a coach called out.  
  
"Eh? Me?" Inuyasha said.  
  
"Yeah, you! We need an extra person for our tug-of-war match in a minute since one player got sent down the nurse. You in?"  
  
Inuyasha smiled. "Sure, but don't say I didn't warn you that I'm a lot stronger than I look."  
  
Eri ran up to Kagome. "Kagome, that was amazing! You just broke the school record!"  
  
"You're kidding!" Kagome exclaimed, her face full of shock. She thought to herself, "I suppose running around the feudal era fighting demons would make your legs stronger."  
  
"That means you've broken 4 records already today! 3 of them in the archery competition. I've never seen so many bulls-eyes in my life! Pretty impressive for anyone, little alone someone who found out she had so many kinds of arthritis this year." Eri exclaimed.  
  
"I guess I've just been keeping in shape and had some good luck. Anyway, what are we doing next?" Kagome asked.  
  
"The hurdles," Eri replied. "You better get to the starting gate."  
  
Kagome smiled. "All right, that's another easy one. Good luck, Eri."  
  
"You, too, Kagome." They both ran to the starting gate. Meanwhile, Inuyasha was lining up at the end of one side, ready for tug-of-war.  
  
The gun fired again, and Kagome once again took off, lightning fast. She felt light as a feather, and found the hurdles to be extremely easy and was leaping them with no problems as the rest of the team was left in her dust. "Hey, I'm even better than when I practiced last night!"  
  
In fact, Kagome was TOO good. She was landing a meter past the hurdles, not just hopping over them like the other kids. And on the second the last hurdle, Kagome made an awe-inspiring leap that sent her careening down into the last hurdle and bouncing off the ground, across the finish line.  
  
"ITAI!" Kagome exclaimed, looking down at her cuts and scrapes after coming to a stop.  
  
"KAGOME!" Some of her classmates called out to her, running up to help.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"How did you jump that far?"  
  
"That was a nasty fall!"  
  
"That was… like supernatural! No one can jump that far!"  
  
The gun was shot and Inuyasha's tug-of-war match began. Not that he really noticed. His side was being pulled forward with tremendous power. Or rather, they would have had Inuyasha not been there, holding the entire rope down with just one hand, sniffing into the air. "Blood… Kagome's blood! I'M COMING, KAGOME!" He turned to the direction Kagome was in and ran off, still holding on to his end of the rope, dragging both teams with him. The whistle blew, announcing Inuyasha's side the winner, and Inuyasha let go, dropping everyone to the ground as he ran off.  
  
The crowd quickly parted as Inuyasha ran to Kagome. "Kagome, are you okay? What happened?" He knelt over and began inspecting the wound.  
  
"I'm all right, Inuyasha, really. I just fell and scraped my knee," she explained, rubbing the wound gently.  
  
"And she broke every school record for the hurdles in the process," added in one girl.  
  
"All right, come on Kagome," he said, lifting her up. "We're taking you to get that wound cleaned."  
  
"Wow, Kagome was right…" muttered Ayumi to Kagome's other friends. "Her boyfriend really is kind of sweet."  
  
"Inuyasha, it's all right, really!" Kagome exclaimed. "It doesn't hurt that much and I can take care of myself!"  
  
"I don't care what you say, we're getting that cut looked at," Inuyasha stated, matter-of-factly.  
  
The coach looked down at her clipboard. "Well, it looks like Higurashi here has done enough tests today, especially considering her times. I suppose it would be all right for her to leave now. Take care of that wound for her, would you? Don't let it get infected. Oh, and take care of that girlfriend of yours or else you'll be hearing from me."  
  
Inuyasha heeded nothing of the insinuations, as his one-track mind heard all it wanted to: Kagome could go home and he could take care of her. As soon as he had walked off and out of the sight of any classmates, he leapt onto the school building, still holding Kagome in front of him, and took off for the shrine.  
  
"Inuyasha, you're being unreasonable!" Kagome said. "I don't even think my leg's bleeding!"  
  
"Keh. Yeah right. With a cut like that it… it… Wait a second, I don't smell any fresh blood, only dried blood…" He landed on the roof of an apartment building and set Kagome down. "Let's have another look at that cut." He grabbed her leg and held it up. The wound was already covered in dried blood. "Let me get some water." He spotted a small bucket filled with cold water and a sponge next to a clothesline. He grabbed it and poured a little water on the wound, rubbing the dried blood away.  
  
"It's… GONE!" Kagome exclaimed.  
  
"That's impossible!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "You're just a human! Well, cat-girl for now, but still…"  
  
Kagome stood up and moved the leg. "Not a single scratch or scar. Well, I'm not complaining. Well, I have been moving around a lot. Maybe I've just really gotten in really good shape. Maybe the cut was small and I just hit a vein or something."  
  
"Keh," snapped Inuyasha. "But forget it for now. Let's just get out of here and get to your house. The sooner we get there the sooner we can leave and the sooner we can go back to MY time."  
  
Kagome nodded and sighed dreamingly as she climbed back onto Inuyasha's back. "I know what you mean. Even facing Naraku doesn't seem so bad after a week of tests… I'm praying I did well in math…"  
  
Inuyasha leapt off the roof and continued on home.  
  
Later that evening at dinner, bypassing the trip to see Shippou since they'd only be a few hours longer…  
  
Buyo sniffed Inuyasha's leg, and then began to nuzzle against it as he sat at the table. Smiling craftily and waiting 'til no one was watching, he slipped a small bite of meat under the table for the cat, who he sympathized with. Hey, if he didn't like being part cat for a while, imagine being a full cat forever…  
  
"So, Kagome, how do you think you did on all of these finals overall?" asked Kagome's mother, pouring herself another drink.  
  
"Oh, all right, I suppose," Kagome replied. "Japanese and English were a piece of cake, and history was no problem at all, but I'm still a little worried about math. Then again, I did study plenty for that, and I broke some records today in track and field."  
  
Kagome's grandfather laughed, placing another pickle in his mouth. "Now that's my grand daughter! Brains AND brawn. You're quite the lucky fellow to be beside such a talented girl, you know that?" he said addressing Inuyasha.  
  
"Keh! Maybe you should introduce me to this girl sometime," Inuyasha joked.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, casting him an angry glare. "Don't be so rude!"  
  
"But it's true!" Sota said. "I saw Kagome today, I was looking out a classroom window while taking my history final. Kagome was leaving the other girls all behind in her races. Well, until the last race. Didn't it hurt falling over those hurdles like that?" he asked.  
  
"Hurdles? Falling over?" Kagome's mother stared at her daughter.  
  
"Oh, it was nothing, really," said Kagome modestly. "I just jumped a little too far with a hurdle and slammed into the last one. It was only a minor cut and, in fact, it's already healed."  
  
Kagome's mothered. "Well, as long as it has healed… Then it must not have been so bad. Kagome's mother stared for a second longer at her daughter, though. "But still, I think there is a doctor we need to take you to. Dr. Otsuki."  
  
"Otsuki?" Kagome said, putting down her bowl and chopsticks. "But he's our dentist. I just had a checkup with him a month or two ago."  
  
Kagome's mother analyzed Kagome's face for a moment, and then everyone's gazes were focused on her. "Well, dear, it's just, even from here, I can see a few teeth hanging out… I don't think that's normal."  
  
Sota chimed in. "Yeah, sis, you've got these two big teeth in front…" He put two fingers hanging down in front of his face, slurring his speech. "Wike dis."  
  
"That's not right, Kagome…" Even Inuyasha saw it.  
  
Kagome carried her bowl to the kitchen sink and then headed to the bathroom.  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha, look! Your ears are back!" Kagome's mother stated, taking her mind of her daughter and unable to resist the urge to rub them.  
  
"Hey, I want to feel them, too!" Sota said.  
  
"EH?!" Inuyasha looked behind him, spotting a tail there. "Shippou's spell wore off!"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A scream came from the bathroom. Kagome came running back to the kitchen, her backpack filled with fresh supplies. Her tails and ears were showing once more. "Mother, grandpa, Sota, sorry, but I have to go! Now! Inuyasha, come on!"  
  
"Wait, Kagome, what's this all about? What's wrong? And… why do you have those ADORABLE ears and a tail like Inuyasha?" her mother asked.  
  
"Oh, everything's fine, fine. And this? It's just… a costume! Yeah! So, ummm… see you later, mother!" Kagome hugged her and ran out the door.  
  
"H-hey, wait for me, Kagome!" Inuyasha said, leaping to his feet and running out the door.  
  
"Hmph. Such manners. He didn't even pick up his bowl," said Kagome's grandfather, inspecting Inuyasha's spot at the table. "Well, no sense in letting all this food go to waste…" He poured Inuyasha's food into his own bowl.  
  
"Kagome, what the hell has gotten into you?! And… UGH! You smell… that smell… Even I can't quite recognize it! What the hell is happening?"  
  
Kagome spun around, looking Inuyasha in the eyes, with tears in her own. "FANGS!"  
  
"Fangs?" He repeated bewilderedly.  
  
"That's right. This isn't a case of bad teeth! This is a case of a human growing FANGS! That potion, serum, whatever you want to call it, must not have changed us fully yet, nyao! Nyao, nyao, nyao, nyao!" Kagome went off screaming, sounding more and more like a cat.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome by the shoulders and held her still. "KAGOME! Hold still, calm down, and shut up for a minute, baka onna!" At the sight of the angry hanyou, Kagome stopped. "Look, maybe that's the last change the potion will have on you. Maybe not. Who knows? But you won't figure that out running around screaming like an idiot! Get in that Goddamn well and we'll go find someone who knows more about this, okay?!"  
  
Kagome calmed herself. "Th-thank you, Inuyasha. I think I needed that. You're right. Let's go!" And they both took off for the well, leaping in simultaneously.  
  
They both arrived at Kaede's hut quickly, Kagome riding on Inuyasha's back. Inuyasha didn't even take the time to change out of the school uniform he complained so much about. When they reached the village of Kaede, Miroku and the others were there in Kaede's hut and were ready to help.  
  
Kaede held Kagome's chin in her hand, examining her face. "Indeed, these are the fangs like those one might find on a cat, dog, wolf or anything similar. But never in my many years have I seen them on a human!"  
  
"And neither have I," said Miroku. "I'm starting to doubt that that potion you drank merely gave you the ears and tail. It seems to have more and more effects as time goes on."  
  
Shippou covered his nose and waved his hand before it. "Uh, Kagome? No offense meant or anything, but you smell really weird, too."  
  
"You smelt that, too?" said Inuyasha, in a rare moment of agreement between the two who shared some demon blood.  
  
"Well, yeah! Anyone with a demon nose at all could smell something wrong," he replied.  
  
Kagome sniffed the air, answering nervously, "Well, I think something smells… different. I don't know what. It's like… my nose is telling me something is wrong!"  
  
"Your NOSE?" said Sango.  
  
Kagome nodded slowly. "I mean, I think it is… I'm not too sure about these things…"  
  
Miroku nodded. "I see… and, Kagome, has anything else strange happened beside the fangs and your nose?"  
  
Kagome thought for a moment. "Actually, yes, several things just today. I was running a lot faster than I usually could. I was breaking all sorts of records in gym. And then, I tripped and cut my knee. But before Inuyasha could even get me home, the wound had healed."  
  
"Completely healed?" Kaede said in astonishment. Kagome nodded. "My word, child, this is not right. While I am not saying I wish it took longer for a person to heal, no cut that draws blood should take so short a time to heal itself. This is dire, indeed."  
  
Miroku extended his index finger and pulled it back, signaling Kagome to follow him. He walked out the door of the hut and everyone followed.  
  
"Kagome, I have my suspicion as to what ailment is plaguing you, but I want to take one last test to make sure," explained the monk. "I want you to start running as fast as you can toward that tree in the distance. Once you think you've reached your top speed, I want you to jump as high and far as you can. No holding back, all right?"  
  
"What will this prove?" Kagome asked.  
  
"You'll see. Just try it," he demanded.  
  
"All right…" Kagome kneeled down and focused on the tree Inuyasha had been pinned to for 50 years. It stood much taller than all of the other trees around it. "Here I go!" Kagome got off even faster than she had before. She felt lighter than ever, like she was even weightless. Her feet moved faster than she could even think. It was like instinct moved them. She blazed by everything in the blink of an eye, like when she rode on Inuyasha. "EH?! How can I… Oh, right… JUMP!" She pushed down as hard as she could and rocketed into the sky, at least 50 meters up. "Oh my God, how can I…?!"  
  
She landed and ran back at the same speed to an awestruck group. "Did you see that? I mean, it was like… like I was flying! I was acting like Inuyasha! How is this possible?!" Kagome demanded to know.  
  
Miroku stepped forward and coughed. "It would seem my suspicions are more than likely correct. Now, Kagome, this might be a little hard to swallow, but listen carefully, since I will make this very blunt. You have turned into a hanyou."  
  
To be continued… 


	5. New Powers, Sibling Rivalries, and Fatal...

So, finally, the new chapter is here, though rather late. For those of you reading, I hope you read, enjoy, and review. But at the very end... well... I have a message for you after the end, so, please read it.  
  
Chapter 5: New Powers, Sibling Rivalries, and Fatal Wounds  
  
Sweat ran down Kagome's face. "M-Miroku..." She stuttered, then laughing nervously. "Care to run that by me again? I could have SWORN you just said I was half-demon..."  
  
Miroku nodded calmly. "I'm afraid to say it, Kagome, but it is the only possible explanation. Considering that the potion was supposed to augment demonic powers, we should have realized it could very easily have some great or horrible effects on the human body."  
  
"So THAT'S what I smelt!" declared Shippou. "Now I recognize it! It's demon and human blood, but it's not normal. I can smell both on Inuyasha, but on Kagome, it smells like the different types of blood are battling or something..."  
  
Inuyasha nodded, still a little disturbed by the news. "I smell that, too. It's like Kagome's human blood is fighting with the demon blood, but on a losing battle... Maybe the demon blood wants full control of her."  
  
Kagome's eyes shrank. "WHAT?! Then... then... I might become a FULL demon?! Why me?! Why isn't anything else happening to Inuyasha?!"  
  
Kaede cleared her throat. "I have a theory, my child, but it is just that, a theory. This potion you and Inuyasha drank was supposed to, according to what information Miroku and Shippou brought, enhance the demonic powers of whoever drinks it. Perhaps it is a way of injecting a stronger type of demon blood within the person. By the effects it has had on you both, it was obviously the strong blood of a demon cat. However... Inuyasha has spent his whole life in the form of a half-demon. Perhaps the human blood coursing through his veins is so used to the demonic blood that it cannot be gotten rid of. You, Kagome, on the other hand, have spent your life as a normal human. Your blood is not used to any form of demonic power. So, perhaps it is very susceptible to it."  
  
"Dammit, I'm the one who wanted to be a full demon!" Inuyasha complained.  
  
"Inuyasha, this may not be merely a matter of power!" Kaede stated. "This could be far more serious. For what if the demon blood fully envelops Kagome? For all we know, changing so much of one's body so fast could end her life!"  
  
"I'm going to DIE?!" Kagome gasped, her face turning pale.  
  
"Now, don't say that lady Kaede, Kagome," Sango interrupted, picking Kirara up off her shoulder and placing the kitten on the ground. "As Kaede said, that's only one possibility. And even if it were true, for all we know the full effects won't be unleashed for YEARS. We still don't know what that potion you drank really is, and we don't even really know if that you ARE part demon. Don't think you're in any real danger yet. It's only a small guess. It's what the symptoms point to. And, besides, there MUST be an antidote somewhere..."  
  
"Antidote? We already looked for one!" Inuyasha exclaimed in an irritated tone. "Where the hell else can we look?"  
  
"There is... ONE possibility I had until recently overlooked," said Miroku, deep in thought.  
  
"What is it? At this point, I don't care WHAT it is. I'll do anything! I'm so scared! I don't want to die!" Kagome was starting to panic and turn paler.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed the now crying and hysterical girl and held her down, glaring directly into her eyes. "Kagome, you are NOT, I repeat, NOT going to die, okay? As long as I'm here, that ain't gonna happen, got it? We're going to right now and look for an antidote and we won't even stop for a jewel shard unless that will cure things somehow, got it?"  
  
Kagome stopped crying as soon as Inuyasha finished. "R-really? You'd give up some jewel shards... for me?"  
  
"Funny you should mention shards, actually..." Miroku said. "You see, that's how we are possibly going to cure you two."  
  
"Say what?" asked Inuyasha.  
  
"Well," Miroku began, "after the sacred jewel split, there was rumor of a cave in a mountain very near here that contained water purified by a piece of the jewel. Anything that bathes in these waters, it is said, is cured of any impurity, disease, or condition."  
  
"Dammit, Miroku, why didn't you mention this SOONER?!" Inuyasha demanded to know.  
  
Shippou leapt on to his shoulder. "Yeah, why didn't you? Seems like a pretty good way to get it done."  
  
"AHEM..." Miroku cleared his throat. "As I explained, I forgot about it, but also, it is not exactly the most RELIABLE of ideas. You see, first of all, no one knows where this cave is, exactly, except for the fact that it is in a mountain around here. Secondly, only a monk confirmed this rumor, who said he was returning to the cave to fetch a good portion of the water to heal an elderly, injured man. However, it is said the monk never returned. Perhaps he was killed on his trek back into the cave, or perhaps a demon took up residence in the cave and traps him there to this day."  
  
Inuyasha snickered. "Well, if that monk is anything like you, he probably never found any cave and just used it as an excuse to get into that guy's house and rob him blind. Either that, or make advances at his daughter."  
  
Miroku looked away. "I don't know WHAT you're insinuating. I am a man of the cloth; a man of virtue would never steal from someone so unfortunate, nor would I do something so immoral to a dying man's daughter."  
  
"In any case," interrupted Kaede, "I have heard this rumor as well, but I know not where this cave lies. However, I fail to see any better option for now. Mayhap it would serve in your best interest to follow these rumors and search for the cave. Even if you do not find it, perhaps you may find a hint as to how to cure this ailment."  
  
"That sounds like it may work," said Kagome. "At this point, I'll take ANY lead. Even if my life isn't at stake, I'm sick of being a cat, nyao."  
  
"It's settled, then," said Miroku. "We'll set off for-" Something popped up on Miroku's cheek and he slapped it. It floated down gently down to his palm. "Myouga?"  
  
Myouga popped back into his usual shape and bowed. "My apologies, Miroku. I have come bearing a message, but it had been so long since I had feasted I-"  
  
"Just get to the point, Myouga," said Inuyasha impatiently. "We're kinda busy here."  
  
"Oh, right, of course, my lord." Myouga coughed. "It would seem that your brother, Sesshoumaru, has once again acquired the hand of a human with a jewel shard within it, so that he may successfully wield the Tessaiga."  
  
"Yeah?" Inuyasha questioned. "So what else is new? The jerk's always trying it."  
  
"Well, this time, my lord, he... he... Ummm... pardon my rudeness, but may I ask why you have a tail? And why your hair is black when it is neither nightfall nor is there a new moon? And, why, lady Kagome, why do you have these, too? You are but a human!"  
  
Kagome sighed depressingly. "It's a long story. But let's just say it's Miroku's fault..." she said, casting the monk an angry stare as he tried to look as innocent as possible. "And we're going looking for a cave in the mountains that may have a stream that can cure us. Until then, I'm kind of... a half-demon, too..." Kagome looked down embarrassingly.  
  
"A HUMAN? Becoming a HALF-DEMON?!" Myouga's eyes bulged. "That's unheard of!" He gazed at her for a moment, getting a few ideas though. "Although, I suppose no one has ever tasted one's blood like that, though... Might be a delicacy..." he whispered to himself.  
  
Kagome glared, pointing to one ear on her head. "I heard that. Remember, half-demon means improved hearing."  
  
Myouga was taken back by the accusations. "Well... errr... My apologies once more. I can't control myself sometimes... In any case, would this cave happen to be the one in recent rumors where a monk has disappeared?"  
  
"Yeah, and we were going to go look for it in a minute," said Shippou.  
  
"Well, then, you're in luck!" Myouga said, folding all four of his arms proudly. "Because I just happen to know where this cave is.  
  
"You do?" Sango asked. "But how would you know that?"  
  
"I'm a flea; I have ways of getting around," was his reply. "I was hopping through a nearby village when I overheard two passing strangers mentioning that it was that very village the said monk visited and promised to return to. They said from there that the monk took a path north through the woods towards the mountain. That trail should lead one to, or at least close to, the cave you need."  
  
Inuyasha smirked. "Well, what do you know? Myouga comes in handy, for once."  
  
Myouga hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and began to hop up and down angrily. "Please, my lord, show some respect to your faithful and loyal servant!"  
  
"All right, then," replied the hanyou, "then why don't you come with us to show us this cave?"  
  
"Fine, then, I will!" the flea agreed.  
  
"Then lead away," Inuyasha requested sarcastically.  
  
"The village is directly to the west of here. If we travel now, we can reach it in the afternoon hours," explained Myouga.  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Kagome. "Let's get moving!"  
  
"Kirara, let's go," said Sango, watching as the cute kitten changed from its normal form to that of a monstrous saber-toothed cat. She, Miroku, and Shippou, who was carrying Myouga on his shoulder, all leaped on Kirara's back and Sango held out a hand for Kagome. "Are you coming with us, Kagome?"  
  
The now half-demon girl shook her head. "No thanks. I want to try and do this on foot. I think I'll be faster this way."  
  
"All right then," said Miroku. "See you at the village, then." He, Sango, Shippou, and Myouga took off into the air, Kirara flying westward towards the village that would lead them to the mountain cave, and possibly a cure for Kagome and Inuyasha.  
  
"Keh, don't count on it," boasted Inuyasha. "We'll be waiting for you there!" Inuyasha took off running, and Kagome did the same a moment later.  
  
Inuyasha, still clad in a school uniform, ran at his top speed down the forest trails, just below Sango and the others, and Kagome quickened her pace until she was running alongside him. Her head was turning around all over, watching all the trees go by. "Wow, this is... amazing! I feel so light! I mean, I've ridden on your back, Inuyasha, but I've never gotten a sense of speed like this!"  
  
Inuyasha smirked at hearing that. "Keh! I never thought I'd hear that from you. Not so bad being half-demon, is it?"  
  
Kagome drew in a deep breath. "Well, don't get me wrong, I love so much of it... Smelling so many things from such a distance, all the sounds, so far away... I mean, I can smell Miroku from here, hear what Sango is saying... it's just a sensory overload. And the speed... It's amazing. But I think I'd rather be back to a plain, normal human girl again. Or as close as I was to one, anyway."  
  
Inuyasha looked ahead, swerving around some trees. "Speaking of new abilities... I wonder how your strength is. Can you do this?" Inuyasha held up his right hand and brought out his claws. He leapt forward, remaining at the same speed, and with one slash of the claws, brought down a row of trees. He landed on the other side of their stumps and kept running.  
  
Miroku and Sango were now a little ways behind, but could still see Inuyasha and Kagome from below. "What do you suppose they're doing down there, felling trees like that?" asked Sango.  
  
"I don't know and I'm afraid to ask," replied the monk.  
  
"Okay, I'll give it a try..." said Kagome. She held out her hand and brought out a handful of claws. "SANKON TESSOU!" Blades leapt from her fingertips to the trees, slicing them all down in her path. She landed harmlessly on the other side of where the mighty trees once stood and continued running. "Hey, I did it!"  
  
Sango, Miroku, and Shippou looked down, astounded at the display. "Kagome... did THAT?!" Sango exclaimed.  
  
Miroku gulped, thinking to himself, "I was considering seeing how soft her... tail was again, but in the issue of safety, maybe I shouldn't..."  
  
The village appeared shortly in the distance. With her new demonic speed, Kagome reached it first, with Inuyasha behind by a mere fraction of a second, and the others landing beside them half a minute later.  
  
"Keh, not bad, Kagome," commented Inuyasha. "Seems we share a few attacks now. That was very impressive, the way you took all of those trees down. For someone new at this, I mean. Still, you're not nearly as tough as me."  
  
Kagome smirked. "Oh, really? Then why are you on your face?"  
  
Inuyasha turned his bed back. "What are you-UGH!"  
  
As he turned, Kagome leapt forward with maddening speed and pushed the boy down, pinning him to the ground, much to the shock of the whole group. "So, what were you saying?" Kagome's tail wagged in her guilty pleasure.  
  
Inuyasha pressed his palms to the ground and pushed himself into the air, sending Kagome flying off his back. He landed on his feet, grabbed Kagome as she fell, and set her down on the ground, twisting her arm gently as he did so. "I said, you're still no match for me!"  
  
Kagome tried in vain to untwist her arm from the hanyou's incredible grip. "Ow! Ow! I give, I give! Let go!" Inuyasha released her and Kagome immediately shook the injured hand and held it tight in her other hand. "Okay, so I'll just stick to my bow and arrows..."  
  
"Kagome..." Sango exclaimed, half in disbelief. "That was quite... unlike you. I mean, you and Inuyasha fight all the time, but not like that, and rarely do you enjoy it..."  
  
Shippou hopped onto Kagome's head and looked down upon her. "Yeah, what's gotten into you, Kagome?" He pulled gently on one ear. "You're acting more like Inuyasha than yourself!"  
  
Kagome lifted Shippou and held him tight. "Errr... I have? S-sorry... I just feel like I can't hold myself back. It feels like I have so much energy and I just have to let it out!"  
  
"It's probably the demon blood..." stated Miroku, deep in thought. "It could make you a lot more aggressive, too. And perhaps you'll be more impulsive. After all, demons aren't well known for their patience..."  
  
"HEY!" Inuyasha and Shippou both replied in protest.  
  
"I rest my case..." declared the monk.  
  
"Well, hopefully, I won't have to stay this way for too much longer," Kagome hoped. She looked to Myouga, still sitting on Shippou's shoulder. "Now, where is this road to the mountain?"  
  
"To the north, just behind the elder's hut. You can't miss it," directed the flea. "I should warn you though, as I said earlier, the monk who journeyed to this cave never returned, so, I recommend that you be very cautious."  
  
"Well, you're still here, so it can't be THAT dangerous," Shippou said, staring down at the insect on his shoulder.  
  
"I don't very much like the insinuation," said Myouga.  
  
Kagome's ear twitched. "Wait a second... To the north... I hear something. I smell something, too..." she said, sniffing into the air. "It's so familiar..."  
  
"Blood," Inuyasha said coldly. "I smell fresh blood. Not a lot, but a little. Someone's on that trail, and they're hurt. The reek of some full-blooded demons is also in the air."  
  
"Wait!" Kagome exclaimed. "It is blood, but I sense something else! Jewel shards! Several of them, in fact, though a couple are stronger..."  
  
Miroku kept one hand on the beads wrapped around his hand and looked to the north. "Then it looks like we'll be delayed a few minutes, then. Come on, we have work to do," he said as the group ran off.  
  
Kagome and Inuyasha leapt off the road through the village, landing on the roof of a small merchant's hut, and jumping from there onto the path in the woods below them.  
  
"There!" Kagome pointed with one claw to a man pressed against a tree with several demon-birds closing in on him. They were stork-like, but with three, red, glaring eyes and dark gray feathers and a beak that could easily tear off a human limb. A whole flock of them had encircled the man, pinned against the tree, who was clad much like Miroku, and were moving in.  
  
"Kagome, you take the ones on the left, I'll get the ones on the right," Inuyasha said without even looking towards her.  
  
"Right!" she replied, bringing out her claws. Before Miroku and the others could even arrive into view of the demons, the two hanyous attacked.  
  
"SANKON TESSOU!" they both yelled, slicing the whole row of birds into pieces.  
  
"Oh, no, more demons!" the man cried. "Please, take my valuables, my supplies-ANYTHING! Just spare me!"  
  
"Relax, whoever you are," said Inuyasha somewhat irritated at the man's lack of appreciation for saving his life. "We're just here to get those demons off your back. We're not gonna kill ya."  
  
"You're... you're good guys? Oh, praise be to Buddha. The village must have sent you after I disapp-EARRRRRR!" As the two talked to him, one final bird swooped down beneath the trees and grabbed the poor man, dragging him off into the sky.  
  
"That bird, it's huge! It must be the one with the shards in it!" Inuyasha shouted.  
  
"It is, I can feel them. Let's get it!" Kagome replied, pushing off the ground and into the tree branches, leaping after the bird.  
  
"Come back here, you sad excuse for a chicken!" Inuyasha taunted, leaping on treetops to grab the bird. He slashed, but fell short of the target. "Dammit!" He cussed as the bird flew off with its victim.  
  
"HIRAIKOTSU!" Sango's weapon came from below, curving around and slicing through the neck of the giant bird, who let go of the man instantly and plummeted down with him.  
  
The man screamed as he fell, but was quickly caught by Kagome before he could even reach the trees. "You okay?" she asked.  
  
A jewel fragment also fell, landing into the sealed hand of Miroku. "Well, this seems like a worthy reward for our services."  
  
"Thank you all," said the man as Kagome set him down to the ground in front of them. "My name is Iwata, a monk. I was on my way back to this very village--"  
  
"Wait," Miroku stopped him. "Would you happen to be the very monk that this village has spoken of, that recently vanished in these woods?"  
  
He nodded in reply. "Well, I did get lost in these woods for quite some time... See, I was with a bucket filled with miraculous healing water from a cave in the mountains when--"  
  
Inuyasha grabbed the monk by the collar of his robes and pulled him closer. "You mean the spring is real? Where is it?!"  
  
"Please, please sir, let go! Let me explain!" the monk pleaded.  
  
"We don't have time for any stories right now, got it?!" Inuyasha said, tightening his grip. "We need that spring water! Hey, maybe you have some on you! Hand it over, nyao!"  
  
"SIT!"  
  
The monk looked at the newly-formed crater at his feet. "Sorry about Inuyasha, nyao," said Kagome, the demon blood settling within her, allowing her adrenaline to lessen. "It's just... he and I recently had a little problem with this curse. He's supposed to be half-dog-demon, not half-cat-demon, and I'm not supposed to have ANY demon in me. I'm just human! So... uhhh... we're just a little anxious to get the cure."  
  
Shippou leaned over Sango's shoulder. "Well, Inuyasha also never had any self-restraint, anyway..."  
  
"Ah, I see..." mumbled the monk. "Yes, that is quite the predicament. But I think I can help you. The spring truly does exist, and I believe it may be able to cure you. I even know the way to the spring. It is a very rough path, though. So, to help myself as well, I engraved my name into trees as I went along the path. If you follow those trees up to the base of the mountain and then head straight up from there, you'll find the spring."  
  
"Ah, that will save us a lot of time looking," exclaimed Sango.  
  
"One thing bothers me, though..." said Miroku. "You were on your way back to the village with the water to cure someone there, correct?"  
  
"Yes, I had a bucket large enough to have some left over, should any have spilled," the monk explained.  
  
"Then what happened to the bucket? And shouldn't you have been back to the village relatively quickly if you even had the trail marked?" Miroku asked.  
  
The monk coughed at the question. "Errr... well, I was about halfway back to the village, with no problems... I just ran into certain circumstances that could not be ignored nor avoided."  
  
"The demon birds?" Shippou asked.  
  
"Well... sort of..." the monk replied, droning off as he spoke.  
  
"What do you mean 'sort of?'" Kagome asked, somewhat irritated. "Either they attacked you or they didn't."  
  
"Well, you see," the monk explained, moving aside as Inuyasha finally got back to his feet, "a monk is to always be prepared to help anyone. And, as I was walking through the woods, should I not stop and go out of my way to help anyone in need? A young lady like I saw could easily have tripped should her kimono's sash become any looser. She could have broken many bones. But as I attempted to help her, she revealed she actually was a demon in human form, luring me away as to heal itself with the contents of the bucket, and perhaps find itself a nice feast on my bones..."  
  
Sango grumbled angrily, staring down the monk. "Translation: You saw a beautiful girl in the woods, tried to feel her up, she attacked, revealing herself as the head of a flock of demon-birds, and you lost your bucket in the process."  
  
The monk nodded hesitatingly. "Well, I suppose that's true TECHNICALLY, but I think that is putting it in the worst of light..."  
  
Miroku patted Iwata on the shoulder. "It's all right, my dear fellow. It happens to the best of us."  
  
Inuyasha gave the pair a cold stare, muttering, "The only thing worse than a lecherous monk is two damn lecherous monks."  
  
"Eh? Are you wounded?" Kagome asked, noticing a slowly growing pool of blood beneath Iwata.  
  
"Eh?" The monk looked down. "...Dammit, I am. I was too busy worrying to see it, but it looks like that bird cut me up pretty badly when it carried me away..."  
  
"Well, tell you what," Kagome said. "We'll go to the cave and heal ourselves and then bring back enough water for the whole village, all right? You just wait there and we'll bring enough to heal your wounds, too, okay? The wounds don't look too serious at first glance, but I don't think you should be in any condition for mountain climbing."  
  
"Your courage is only outmatched by your generosity," said the monk, obviously brown-nosing. "I will return to the village and await your arrival."  
  
Inuyasha turned back towards the path. "Well, then, we've wasted enough time. Let's go."  
  
The group turned quickly to walk off, though the monk added in, just before the went out of sight, "but be warned! I have felt a very evil presence near that cave. The cave itself does not resonate with that power, but it is very near. Take care."  
  
Miroku held the fragment of the jewel up to the sun, which slowly began to set over the horizon. He kept up an even pace, walking beside all others, but his mind was racing. He asked, "Kagome, you did say you sensed multiple shards, did you not?"  
  
She nodded. "I still sense one somewhere, but it's very, very faint."  
  
"Hmmm..." He put a hand to his chin. "Well, then perhaps this trail will truly lead us to the cave..." he ran his left hand over a tree, feeling the carving in it marking the path. "But something has been troubling me. As I've said many times before, we've yet to see an instance where the sacred jewel has been used for a good purpose. Every time it has been used, it's led to nothing but the death of innocents."  
  
"Yeah? What's your point?" Inuyasha asked apathetically.  
  
"Well, think about it for once," Miroku said. "Why should now be any different? Why is this the first case of the shard being used for good?"  
  
"Keh! Who cares as long as we can get cured of these damn cat things, nyao?" Inuyasha exclaimed.  
  
Miroku whapped Inuyasha on the top of the head lightly with his staff. "Would you just use your mind for once?"  
  
"What Miroku is saying, Inuyasha," Sango tried to explain, "is that this is very suspicious. Maybe there is no spring, really, and this is all a trap. After all, didn't Myouga say that Sesshoumaru was in the area? That monk could have been a spy of Naraku or something."  
  
"Aye," Myouga said, hopping onto Sango's shoulder. "Your brother is in this area, or so I have heard. We would be wise to avoid that sort of conflict."  
  
"Again, WHO CARES?" Inuyasha asked. "If it's a trap, we get kick the ass of whoever set us up then find another cure. And if it ain't a trap, we just get cured."  
  
"Actually," Kagome said, "I'm with Inuyasha for once... slightly. This is the only lead we have, and I think it's a risk worth taking. Besides, we're nearly there, anyway. Even if it is a trap, we can't just leave a jewel shard for a demon to lay its hands on, right?"  
  
"I suppose you're right..." mumbled Miroku. "But still, I have a bad feeling about this..."  
  
"Well, this is where the forest ends," Kagome announced. They reached a long, tall, gray mountainside. "Here's where we go up. Inuyasha and I can run up, the rest of you can fly up on Kirara."  
  
"All right," replied Sango, climbing on her pet. "See you at the top."  
  
"Right, and the sooner we get there, the sooner we can become normal again!" Kagome said, quickly eyeing Inuyasha. "Well, relatively normal..." she mumbled.  
  
"So what are we waiting for?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. It's almost nightfall. I want to be my old self before that sun sets, nyao."  
  
And thus they began to scale the mountain side, leaping from whatever they could get the slightest footing on, and leaping higher and higher with minimum effort. Kagome stared down, as a few stray pebbles slipped from where her foot rested. It was a long way down by this point. Any human falling from there would die, no exceptions. However, for some reason, Kagome felt no fear. It felt so... natural. Was this another effect of the demon blood now in her veins? Perhaps this is why Inuyasha was always ready for battle, she pondered. After all, feeling so invincible, what harm could ever happen?  
  
Inuyasha pulled himself up to a small plateau, about half way up the huge mountain. "This place... smells... wrong."  
  
"Wrong, Inuyasha?" asked a curious Miroku, stooping over to help Kagome to scale the last portion of the cliff.  
  
"Yeah, something's not right..." Kagome said. "I smell it, too. But I also feel something wrong. I sense a shard, but something just doesn't FEEL right about this."  
  
Shippou hopped off Kirara and landed in Kagome's arms. Don't worry, I'll protect you from any beast that appears! There won't be any trouble as long as **I'M** here!"  
  
"Uh, Shippou?" Inuyasha said, approaching the kitsune from the side.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
He turned to face Inuyasha, who had hid his face in his long, black hair, quickly pulling his hair aside, his face again, rolling his eyes back and sticking out his tongue. "BOOOOOO!"  
  
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shippou cried, leaping from Kagome's arms and running away.  
  
"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Inuyasha laughed hysterically. "If you're the best defense we got, we're in some serious trouble!"   
  
Shippou growled, still cowering down on the ground behind Sango. "Inuyasha, you're just plain mean!" he said. "Kagome, tell the big thug-Kagome?"  
  
Kagome was staring off into the distance, uncharacteristically unconcerned with the fighting. "There's the cave..." said Kagome. "I can see it from here. But something still feels wrong..."  
  
"Kagome-chan?" Sango looked on concerned. "Do you... want to turn back now? We could always try my witch-friend again."  
  
Kagome shook her head. "No way. We came this far... Besides, I told you, I sense a jewel shard in there. We can't just leave that lying around! And... the monk did say the spring works..."  
  
"So, it would seem the risks are high, but they are still risks worth taking," concluded Miroku. "And since we must continue to gather jewel shards, let's go. But be on your guards. Even I can sense there is something wrong here. Powerful evil magic is at work somewhere nearby."  
  
Kagome headed for the entrance to the cave and pulled out her flashlight. The dark cave was nothing more than a small, damp, gray passageway that was barely large enough for one person to walk down.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed the flashlight from Kagome. "I'll go first."  
  
They walked for several minutes, with the only guiding light being the flashlight. The sound of rushing water could be heard ahead. A small light appeared towards the end of the tunnel. "Eh? I see something..." said Kagome. "Looks like... torches."  
  
The tunnel ended and the group entered a huge room, so large the ends could not be seen in the darkness. The rushing water could be heard running throughout the room. Kagome grabbed the torch and noticed other, unlit torches beside it. She walked along the wall, lighting each one, further illuminating the room. When she was done, the whole area became lit enough to see it all. The entrance to the room was flat stone, like the rest of the tunnel, but the rest of the cave was a bit more elaborate. Stone steps led up to a small platform on the other side of the room, opposite the entrance. At the top, a stream came from the side of the mountain, flowing fast through the ground, across the stone, and out through a small crack in the wall on the other side of the room.  
  
"This... has to be the stream... and it's so deep. It's more like a river," observed Miroku. "And what is that?"  
  
On the opposite side of the stream stood a small pedestal, waist-high, glowing brightly. Kagome leapt over the stream and looked at it. A small, circular indent was on the otherwise flat surface. "I guess this is where we put the jewel shard... But then... where's the jewel I sensed? It sort of trailed off..."  
  
"Perhaps the jewel was held by another bird demon and it flew away?" commented Sango.  
  
"Well, maybe..." said Kagome. "That would make sense. But, let's just do this and get out of here. This place gives me the creeps..." She took a jewel out from around her neck and placed it in the slot. It glowed a magnificent pink, as did the water momentarily. Quickly, the water lost its ferocity and moved to a snail's pace.  
  
"I believe this is it," said Myouga on Inuyasha's shoulder. "If you two hop in now, you should return to your normal states."  
  
Inuyasha stared at the water. "So... I guess I'll go first, nyao... Ain't no reason not to give it a try." Myouga hopped off his shoulder and Inuyasha dived into the water headfirst.  
  
"Wow... that's pretty deep," Kagome stated after Inuyasha did not come to the surface or into sight after a good half a minute. "You don't suppose something happened to him down there, do you?" Miroku shrugged. Kagome bent over the water, staring back at her reflection and the twitching ears she so desperately wanted to lose. "I hope that he's-WAAAAAH!"  
  
As she gazed at the surface, Inuyasha's hand emerged from the water, grabbed Kagome by the collar and dragged Kagome under.  
  
"KAGOME-CHAN!" Sango screamed along with Shippou, as Miroku, Myouga, Kirara, and they ran up to the edge of the water, waiting for some movement. It took only a second or two for Kagome to leap to the surface of the water, without any sign of cat ears, coughing and hacking. She leaned over onto the side of the stream, spitting out water, getting it out of her lungs.  
  
Inuyasha surfaced, his silvery hair returned, laughing and laughing. "KYAHAHAHAHA! You should have seen the look on your face when I dragged you under!"  
  
Ignoring the hanyou's childish ways, Miroku stated, "Inuyasha, your hair... you seem to be back to normal. How do you feel?"  
  
"Keh! I feel completely back to normal, but I think it'd be worth being a cat forever just to see that look on Kagome's face again!"  
  
Kagome turned her head back and glared. "Is that SO?!" Her scowl turned to a grin. "Well, then, see how you like this!" She got to her feet and immediately turned, jumping back in, right on top of Inuyasha, shoving them both under.  
  
"Hey, you can't play in the pool without me!" Shippou demanded, leaping right in. Even Myouga wanted to join in.  
  
Miroku looked suspiciously at Sango, smiling gently. He backed up behind her, getting a good distance, then charged, ready to shove her into the water.  
  
...But it didn't work so well when Sango stepped to the side, holding out one leg, tripping the monk and using her arms to throw him into the stream, back first. The monk surfaced, coughing up water as well. "Ah, well, it was worth a try..."  
  
"Then what's this worth?" asked Sango, as she leapt in, shoving the monk below the surface.  
  
All their troubles seemed so far away as they swam around in the tranquil stream. For the first time in a long time, the whole group could just play together without worrying about any sort of attack. Inuyasha at one point leapt out of the water and ran to a dark corner, where he changed from the now soaking wet school-uniform he never had the time to change out of and put back on his old outfit before leaping back in. finally, he though to himself, he was back to normal completely. Though, something did still feel wrong.  
  
Miroku leaned against the side of the stream, smiling. "Ahhh... perhaps I was wrong. You've both been cured and nothing has gone wrong. Perhaps we all did just sense some demon overhead instead of this cave."  
  
Kagome got out of the stream and sat down, wringing out her clothes. "Well, maybe, but it's going to take forever to get these clothes dry. Still, I'll take being soaking wet over being a hanyou any day. It was fun for a while, but I like being human."  
  
Inuyasha floated gently by, mumbling to himself. He stared at his claws for a moment, then turned his head towards the entrance to the cave. In an instant, he leapt out of the water and dashed out of the cave, splashing everyone in the process.  
  
"Inuyasha! What do you think you're doing? Get back here!" Kagome demanded. She looked to the others. "Wait here, I'll go see what he's up to."  
  
Kagome pulled the flashlight back out of her backpack and ran down the hall once again. "What does that idiot think he's doing, leaving without telling us anything?! I have half a mind to... Grrr..."  
  
But as she found the entrance to the cave, and saw the dark, dark night sky, it became clear. Inuyasha stood at the edge of the plateau, staring up into the night sky, his hair just as dark as the moonless sky he gazed into.  
  
"Inuyasha, it's... a new moon?" Kagome asked. He just nodded. "Oh... that would explain why you ran off. But... there's no reason to worry. I mean, sure, I know you wanted to be your old self again tonight, but how bad could it be to wait just one more night? Then you can be your old half-demon self for another month!"  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah, I guess... Eh? Wait, do you hear something? Sounds like Sango and Miroku..."  
  
"AAAAAH! The jewel shard I had been sensing! It has gotten closer! A lot closer! It's in the cave, near the one we set there! Come on, the others are in trouble!" Kagome started to run in, but came to a screeching halt. "Wait, Inuyasha, are you sure you're ready to fight with..."  
  
"KEH! Don't talk to me like that. I ain't about to let you start slayin' whatever the hell is in there without me, so don't even think it, got it?" came his reply.  
  
Deciding not to arguer over this with their friends still in trouble, the two rushed in. At the end of the hall, the two of them found Sango and Miroku in deep entanglement with...  
  
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha cried.  
  
Sesshoumaru swung the Tokijen, shoving Sango's own sword back, sending the girl screeching across the floor.  
  
"Ah, little brother..." Sesshoumaru began. "When I didn't see you here, I thought for just a second my little trap had been for naught."  
  
Inuyasha took a step forward. "Trap? What the hell are you planin', ya bastard? Still after the Tessaiga? Need to learn another lesson?"  
  
Sesshoumaru smiled as Jaken stepped up behind him. "Yes, it is the Tessaiga I still desire, and with my new arm, I shall wield it properly, unlike you. After all, I went to all the trouble of starting the rumors of this cave... The curative powers of which I knew you could not resist, given your condition the last time we met. I knew if I waited here, I'd meet with you eventually... but what is this? You reek of more human than just the company you keep. First a cat, now a human? Do you mean to try and make a mockery of our family's bloodline even further? It's bad enough you were ever born, half-breed." He raised the Tokijen, pointing it at his half-brother. "So, what do you say, brother? Hand over the Tessaiga, or die fittingly as a human, allowing me to take it?"  
  
Myouga hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder, packing up his tiny sack of supplies. "Well, Lord Inuyasha, whatever you pick, good luck with it! As for me, I just remembered, I have to go see a doctor about removing some bad blood from a patient! See you later, maybe!" He leapt off Inuyasha's shoulder and ran out the cave at amazing speeds for a flea.  
  
Inuyasha ignored the bug's cowardice and focused on Sesshoumaru. "You really don't learn, do you? Like hell I'm going to give up the Tessaiga! It's mine! So, if you want it, you'll have to take it off my cold, dead corpse! HEEEEYAAAH!" Inuyasha charged, throwing a fist at his elder sibling.  
  
But in human form, such an attack was nothing Sesshoumaru couldn't dodge. He ducked under it, hit Inuyasha right in the gut and punched him back several meters. "Very well, then. It shall be a pleasure to watch you die a human." Sesshoumaru drew the Tokijen once more and charged Inuyasha, ready to gorge him...  
  
...Until an arrow struck the Tokijen and knocked it out of Sesshoumaru's hand. Kagome raised another arrow. "Hold it right there, Sesshoumaru! What's the big idea, picking on Inuyasha when you know he can't fight back as well? You're nothing but a big bully! So, unless you want to guess where this next arrow is going to hit, leave him alone!" Kagome's anger had reached its limits.  
  
Sesshoumaru stood up slowly, turning to Kagome. "...Your persistence and bravery are quite admirable for a human." He turned to Jaken. "But it's also quite irritating. Jaken, I don't quite feel like dealing with this one again. Kill her."  
  
Jaken smiled, raising his staff. "Aye, my lord! It will be a pleasure!" He stood in front of his lord, holding up his staff. "Stand still, little wench, and this will only hurt for a second!"  
  
"Look out, Kagome," Miroku cried. "He's going to use the staff to try and burn you into ashes!"  
  
Jaken slammed the tip off his staff down, and the man's head on it opened, ready to spit flames.  
  
"HIRAIKOTSU!" Sango threw her boomerang towards Jaken, hitting the staff as flames emerged.  
  
Jaken turned to Sango as her weapon returned. "You insolent whelp! How dare you interrupt my attack! I have a good mind to-AIEEEE!"  
  
Shippou tackled Jaken as he spoke, quite mad himself. "No one tries to hurt Kagome while I'm here!" He bit into Jaken's arm hard, until Jaken managed to push the demon off momentarily.  
  
"That goes for me, TOO!" Inuyasha was back on his feet and ran up to Jaken, proceeding to kick him clear across the cave, slamming him into a wall. "Keep your filthy hands off of her! You guys want ME, not the others, got it?"  
  
Sesshoumaru turned to him. "Ordinarily, I'd be more than obliged to fulfill your death wish, but your company here has begun to work at my last nerve. They remind me of roaches. You crush one and another will crawl out. So, I will permit none to survive. Let us begin with perhaps the most troublesome then," he said, looking at Miroku's right hand. He swung his hand, releasing the yellow whip and swung it towards the monk.  
  
Miroku blocked it with his staff, moving to the side as he did so, waiting for an opening to use his wind tunnel. But with Sango, Kagome, Shippou, and Inuyasha in such a closed room and spread out, he could not risk sucking one of them in, too.  
  
"Don't you dare touch him!" Sango screamed, raising her weapon again. "HIRAIKOTSU!"  
  
Sesshoumaru jumped back out of the path of Sango's weapon, but he jumped directly into the path of Kagome's arrow, shattering the armor around his shoulder.  
  
That was the last straw. Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome, and his eyes began to turn red. "Stay... out of this..." Sesshoumaru charged towards Kagome, who braced for impact... but instead of clutching her, Inuyasha found Sesshoumaru's claws around his neck instead as he was lifted into the air.  
  
"If you do not stay out of this, your precious half-demon's neck will soon be snapped," Sesshoumaru threatened, his claws slowly seeping out a deadly poison, causing Inuyasha to cough terribly.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out. Her hand twitched. "Sesshoumaru, you're... you're just plain vile! Since when did you have to resort to taking hostages?!"  
  
Sesshoumaru clenched Inuyasha's throat tighter, releasing more poison. With his human left hand, he grabbed the Tessaiga, holding it towards Kagome. "Do not think so lowly of me. I merely want to make sure my brother's death is as painless as possible, but you've just left me with no other choice." He continued walking, still gripping the human Inuyasha's throat, choking harder and harder. He leapt over the stream and landed beside the alter. With two fingers, he picked up the shard of the sacred jewel and slipped it into his clothes. The water began to move faster and faster, losing its healing powers. "Now, to finish this... Dear brother, would you prefer to die by poison or by suffocation? Perhaps a severed spine would do?"  
  
Inuyasha pulled at his brother's hands, trying to loosen then grip. But even between the coughing, he managed to scream, "GO TO HELL."  
  
Sesshoumaru smiled. "Now, now, is that any way to talk to your elder brother? Don't like any choice I take it, then? Very well." He released Inuyasha, dropping him to the ground, coughing. Inuyasha stared at the ground, going into an even deeper coughing fit over the poison, struggling to get air into his lungs. Slowly, he succeeded in doing so, and slowly stood up, still dizzy.  
  
Sesshoumaru transformed the Tessaiga to its full size and smiled. "Perhaps I shall go to hell, but I'll have to meet you there later. Since you did not prefer any option, it is death by sword." With this trademark speed, Sesshoumaru stabbed forward as Inuyasha stood up, thrusting the sword through Inuyasha's right shoulder and chest. Then as quickly as he had done the attack, he pulled the sword out, dropping the human Inuyasha to the ground, soaking in a pool of blood.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened. "I-Inuyasha... N-no... you can't.... YOU CAN'T DIE!"  
  
She raised her bow, aiming it at Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru, you're a dead man!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
Okay, before you send your hate mail, wait for the next chapter. Please. I PROMISE to put it up ASAP. I SWEAR on that. And remember, I like stories that fit into the real show's storyline... 


	6. Finales, Promises, and Moonless Skies

Hehehe Well, what do you know? An update semi-close to the actual specified update time? It's a miracle!  
  
Actually, I had planned to update last week, but I've been completely swamped with homework, but, thankfully with finals week approaching and only a few tests to study for, I've had more time to write.  
  
Anyway, as the title below says, this is the final chapter of Nekoyasha. It's been a rather short fiction compared to my previous works, but I've enjoyed it. And I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. I don't know when or if I'll be writing again, but it's been a good ride.  
  
So, to all of my faithful readers, happy readings. And, just for the sake of drama, may I present to you, the final, final, final chapter of my Inuyasha fan fiction ( with characters owned by the skillful Rumiko Takahashi, not yours truly), Nekoyasha.  
  
Enjoy.   
  
Chapter 6: Finales, Promises, and Moonless Skies  
  
Kagome fired her arrow at Sesshoumaru, forcing the full-blooded demon to take steps back, away from Inuyasha's fallen, unmoving body. Even though Sesshoumaru could have easily still attacked her from that distance, though, she still ran up, leaping over the spring, and kneeling down to aid Inuyasha. His eyes were shut tight and his hair covered over his eyes.  
  
"Please, please, still be alive..." she begged. Miroku and Sango, also ignoring the threat of Sesshoumaru, joined her in inspecting him.  
  
Kagome put her ear to Inuyasha's mouth. "I can still hear breathing. He's still alive, but he's completely out cold." She looked closer at the wound, grabbing the outer layer of Inuyasha's robes and opened them up, leaving his undershirt as is. "It looks like Sesshoumaru cut through the right shoulder and just barely missed the lung..."  
  
"That's good news," said Miroku. "If we can get the bleeding to stop, then, he might be able to survive. Normally, in his half-demon form, a wound like this would be nothing. But in his human state... Well, we have to find something to cover his wounds, fast. But if his lungs aren't being filled with blood, then we might just have enough time."  
  
Kagome dragged her backpack over and reached in, pulling out a roll of bandages. "This should work. If we can at least stop the bleeding until morning, he'll change back to a hanyou. Then, his demon blood should be able to speed up his healing and save him, right?"  
  
Miroku held on to Inuyasha's arm and looked thoroughly at the hole. "I would say so... And it looks like you're correct; Sesshoumaru missed the lungs, thankfully. So, I'd suspect that if we could prevent any more blood loss, he should be fine in the morning..."  
  
Jaken slammed the tip off his staff into the ground, regaining his composure after his head had slammed into a wall from a kick. "What?! They DARE turn their backs on Lord Sesshoumaru in the midst of battle? What impudence!" He raised the Staff of Heads higher and smiled. "Worry not, my lord, for I shall take care of these disrespectful fools! There shan't be even ashes left when I'm-UGH!" A foot kicked Jaken back a meter or so.  
  
"You shall do no such thing, Jaken," said Sesshoumaru. "This scene... has made me quite curious." He gazed down at the small group, huddled over their fallen friend. "Even though their very lives are in danger, they still try to assist one another. They are either very brave... or just reckless fools, and I cannot decide which." A faint smile passed over his lips.  
  
Jaken lifted himself up with the tip of his staff. "But... but my lord, are you saying you're just going to LEAVE them here?"  
  
Sesshoumaru's smile instantly vanished and he once again held the Tessaiga in attack position. "Of course not. Now, I shall deal with them myself." He stepped forward slowly, raising the Tessaiga, ready to strike them all down with one blow.  
  
"WIND TUNNEL!" Miroku had stepped in front of the others and unleashed the power of his right hand. Kagome clung to Inuyasha's body, covering her head to avoid getting anywhere near the vortex. Sesshoumaru stabbed the sword into the ground, using it to avoid being pulled any closer. Jaken tried something similar with his staff, but with less ease, struggling and screaming.  
  
Miroku wrapped up his hand again, and all fell quiet. "Sesshoumaru, if you take one step closer, I won't hesitate to suck you in. That's not a chance you want to take, I assure you."  
  
Kagome lifted her head up, staring down at the bandages, now fully wrapped around Inuyasha's shoulder. Slowly, they turned red with blood soaking in. "Eh?" She said, though, when Inuyasha's opening eyes diverted her attention. "You're... you're awake! Inuyasha, please, lie down, you're seriously hurt..."  
  
But the persistent boy would haven one of it. He pushed himself slowly to his feet, causing the bleeding to worsen and soak through the bandages. "Inuyasha, stop it! You're hurting yourself!" Kagome demanded.  
  
He clutched his right arm with his left hand. "I... can't move my right arm. At all," Inuyasha stated coldly. "Sesshoumaru must've completely cut somethin' 'cause I sure as hell won't be usin' it..." He clenched his left hand. "Well, then, I'm just going to have to make him pay for it. I already hacked off his original left hand, so I'll have to give him a matching set! Kagome, you and the others, get the hell out of here." He looked down at the huge hole in the right side of his undershirt and with one hand, ripped it off entirely.  
  
Kagome grabbed Inuyasha by the hand. "NO. We're not leaving. If you fight, he'll tear you to pieces like this!"  
  
"And if you DO fight, you're gonna die, and then he'll kill me, anyway," Inuyasha said bluntly. The cold tone of his voice shocked Kagome as she let go of his hand. "I don't want you dyin' just to save me if I'm as good as dead, anyway. So, for the last time, Kagome, thanks for your help, but GO. Get as far away from here as you can." He stepped forward towards Sesshoumaru.  
  
A tear ran down Kagome's cheek. "No... why'd he have to choose NOW to be the martyred, concerned hero? It's never a good sign when he thanks me... He's going to get himself killed..."  
  
"Sango, give me your sword," Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"No, Inuyasha. You cannot fight. You're too weak," she replied.  
  
"Just give me the damn sword!" Inuyasha said, his patience thinning. He reached to grab it from her side with his good arm as Sango struggled to keep it from him.  
  
"Inuyasha, you fool, stop it! I'm not going to let you hut yourself even more!" she said.  
  
"Inuyasha," Miroku turned his back to Sesshoumaru to yell at him, "stop this madness right now. You will NOT fight."  
  
"Quit your stalling," Sesshoumaru said, taking advantage of the moment and speeding towards the monk, punching him in the back of the head and knocking him flat on his face.  
  
Sango's attention turned to the attacking demon and reached for her hiraikotsu, but she was far too slow. Sesshoumaru knocked her back several meters in the blink of an eye. With Inuyasha's hand still on the hilt of the sword as Sango was knocked back, it slid out and into his hand. "Your problem's with me, bastard! Leave them OUT OF THIS!" He raised Sango's sword and charged, shrugging off the pain, and swung and Sesshoumaru's head repeatedly. The demon merely moved his head each time to avoid every blow with minimum effort.  
  
"Pathetic. To think I am related to you. In this form, you are not even worth the effort it would take to remove your head." With one swift punch to the gut, Sesshoumaru ended Inuyasha's assault. Then, in one more punch, he threw the injured boy back to the edge of the stream, his black hair flowing freely in the rapid moving water as his head was dunked into it slowly. His fist loosened and he dropped Sango's blade beside the edge of the water.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, running to his aid. Her foot hit a rock and she fell over, at the same moment, watching as Inuyasha's body was pulled into the stream slowly by waves against his body. She got to her feet and had just enough time to see his body sink down to the bottom as she reached the edge of the water. "He'll drown!" She dived in head first, swimming down to the bottom of the stream. "Where is he? Where is-Wait a second, I got it! How could I have forgotten about that?!"  
  
Kagome rose to the surface, realizing she might not have the strength to get Inuyasha to the surface in time, but maybe she wouldn't have to. She looked to the altar on the other side of the room. Sesshoumaru may have taken one shard of the jewel from her, but she still had others from the demon birds outside the cave.  
  
"Shippou, catch!" Kagome threw a shard to Shippou, standing just a few meters from the altar. "Put it in there! We can heal Inuyasha if you do!"  
  
"The altar!" Miroku said, turning to Shippou. "Quickly! I'll hold Sesshoumaru back!" He grabbed the prayer beads around his arm and released his wind tunnel once more keeping Sesshoumaru in place. Sango stepped beside him, readying her hiraikotsu, should the demon make any sudden movements.  
  
Shippou hopped up onto the altar and dropped the shard. "I'll take that!" Jaken said, quickly grabbing it before it could drop into its slot while hanging onto the other side of the altar.  
  
"GIVE THAT BACK!" screamed Shippou giving chase.  
  
"Never! This belongs to lord Sesshoumaru!" he replied, not noticing he was about to run into Sango. "Eh?"  
  
"Put it BACK, stinking TOAD!" Sango said angrily as she put her foot to Jaken's face once more.  
  
"UGH!" the demon grunted as he once more hit his head on the wall behind the altar. Jaken took a moment to sit up, staring blankly as his vision was blurred and his senses dulled from one blow to the head too many. "Methinks that I shall need a doctor after today..." One thing did come into focus, though. "L-Lord Sesshoumaru?" The figure of his master walked in front of him.  
  
"Aye, Jaken. I've finished these fools off. Now hand over the shard you stole from Shippou."  
  
"Eh?" Jaken stood up, wavering still. "Shippou? I did not realize you went on a first name basis with these fools... And my hearing seems to be going... Do I not still hear fighting in here?"  
  
"Jaken, are you questioning me and my judgment?" Sesshoumaru asked coldly.  
  
Sweat ran down Jaken's brow. "N-never, my lord! H-here!" He handed the shard over to his master.  
  
Sesshoumaru laughed. "Thanks for the shard, sucker!" His hair turned a light brown and a bushy foxtail wagged behind him.  
  
"AUGH! A TRICK!" was Jaken's comment before Shippou used the last few seconds of his fake form to punt the puny demon once more, this time kicking him right into the stream.  
  
Poof! In a cloud of smoke, Shippou popped back to his normal form, hopped onto the altar, and dropped the jewel shard into its slot. The water began to slow down as the shard glowed brighter.  
  
The real Sesshoumaru's eyes began to glow, as well, but a deep red instead. "I grow impatient of this trick," he said as Miroku held him back still by the power of his wind tunnel.  
  
The monk, however, was growing even more tired. "I don't... know how long I can keep this up..." he groaned as he started to crouch, needing his left arm to support his right.  
  
"Enough of this," Sesshoumaru said, raising the Tessaiga from the ground and using his speed to move away from the center of the wind tunnel's strength. He curved around Miroku and Sango and headed straight for Kagome.  
  
Miroku turned and cursed to himself. "Dammit, I can't use my wind tunnel now. I'm too weak, and even if I wasn't, I'd suck in Kagome with him!"  
  
"Die," Sesshoumaru commanded as his fist connected with Kagome's cheek, throwing her into the wall, back first. She collapsed onto her stomach on the floor. She could only watch in fear as Sesshoumaru held the Tessaiga over her head and, without another word, brought it down upon her head.  
  
The sound of steel cleaving through flesh and the spraying of blood echoed throughout the cave.  
  
But it was not Kagome's blood that had been spilled. The Tessaiga spun through the air, landing blade first into the floor of the cave, quickly returning to its original size and dulled shape. Attached to the hilt still was Sesshoumaru's human arm, the jewel shard still embedded in it. Behind Sesshoumaru stood Inuyasha, bloodied bandages still wrapped around him and Sango's blade in his hand, dabs of blood dripping down it.  
  
"Keh. Didn't think you were that stupid. Takin' your eyes off me for so long. I figured you'd at least have enough of a clue to remember what a bad idea it is to ignore me. And, anyway, I told you, you filthy bastard, keep your damned claws off of my friends!" He made another swipe at Sesshoumaru, but his brother was just too fast and leapt over Inuyasha's attack, landing before the entrance to the cave.  
  
Jaken climbed out of the stream, his bumps and bruises from the kicks and blows gone. He gasped for air first, then at the sight of his master's hand still attached to the Tessaiga. "Lord Sesshoumaru! What has happened to-"  
  
"Come, Jaken," the demon commanded. "There is no sense in staying here any longer. Without another human hand, I cannot grip the Tessaiga, so there is no point in wasting any more time here." He reached into his left sleeve and tore off the last small chunk of human flesh, throwing it to the ground.  
  
"C-coming, my lord!" cried the smaller demon, running as fast as his puny legs could carry him to his master.  
  
Sesshoumaru turned around, and, without a word, faded into the darkness of the entrance to the cave.  
  
All fell silent for a moment. Shippou stood atop the altar, making sure Sesshoumaru and Jaken would not return. Miroku knelt down beside the stream, still feeling the effects of the overuse of his wind tunnel. Sango crouched down beside him and checked to make sure he would be all right. Kagome still lay on the ground, watching, waiting, and seeing if all was truly safe for now. But, she was also still shocked at how close Sesshoumaru had come to decapitating her. Inuyasha stood staring at the entrance, his chest, bandages, and black hair all stained with drying blood. His fist clenched tighter on the hilt of Sango's sword.  
  
He looked down at the bandages around his right shoulder. Considering the way he hacked off Sesshoumaru's arm, it was safe to say he had full use of his right arm once more. And from the looks of it, the wound had healed. He unraveled the bandages quickly, not saying a word, and saw that the wound was entirely gone, leaving nothing but dried blood upon his chest where the shoulder had been cut open. His clothes were half-torn off, his hair was covered in blood, and he was sopping wet, but he was at least unhurt.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Kagome finally broke the silence, her lone voice echoing throughout the cave. But she could think of nothing else to say.  
  
"We'll sleep here tonight, then move back to the village in the morning," Inuyasha said.  
  
"All right," Miroku responded, leaning up against the wall of the cave, a torch over his head slowly dying down.  
  
Inuyasha walked up to Sango and handed her back the sword he had borrowed, holding the blade gently, offering her the hilt. "Thanks," Sango said, sliding it back into its sheath.  
  
Inuyasha then turned his attention to the Tessaiga, still sticking out of the ground in its dull form, Sesshoumaru's hand still gripping it. He picked off Sesshoumaru's lost hand and dug his claw into the flesh, pulling out the shard and casting the rest into the stream beside them. "Keh. He got one of our shards, but we got one of his," he said to himself. He took the Tessaiga from the ground and sheathed it. Without another word, he leaned up against the wall beside the narrow entrance and closed his eyes.  
  
"Is he... really just going to go to sleep?" Kagome whispered, crawling over to Miroku and Sango. "I mean... he... almost died..."  
  
"You know Inuyasha," Miroku explained. "I'd also like to make sure the spring has fully healed him... but there's no way his pride will allow us to do that. Stubborn fool. He'd never admit in a thousand years if he felt any pain."  
  
"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Sango said. "My scar is gone as well and shows no signs of coming back, and you're both healed, so I think he'll be okay, even if he isn't a demon right now."  
  
"Besides, Inuyasha's head is as hard as the rock he's sleeping against," joked Shippou. "It'd take a lot to really hurt him, human or demon."  
  
Sango chuckled. "And the way he avoided eye contact with us, I'd say the only thing that hurts right now is his pride."  
  
Kagome gazed back at the boy, sleeping up against the wall. "I guess so... let's just get some sleep, then..."  
  
Kagome unrolled her sleeping bag and crawled into it. Shippou jumped onto her chest after she climbed in, snuggling up against her. Miroku had himself laid out on his back, one hand dipped in the warm stream. With the jewel shard still left there, the stream was slow, quiet, and very relaxing to the touch. Close to him was Sango, also laid out flat, her right hand extended, almost touching his other hand.  
  
Kagome took one last look at Inuyasha sitting underneath the flickering torch. She wanted to say something about how scared she was today... but decided to just go to sleep.  
  
A few minutes after she shut her eyes, Inuyasha opened his slightly. "All asleep... good..." He whispered to himself, standing up and walking out of the cave alone.  
  
"I figured he was still awake..." Kagome then whispered once Inuyasha had left. Slowly and gently she lifted Shippou off her chest and laid him down beside her. Silently, she sneaked to the entrance, following behind. "Where is he going...?"  
  
"Damn him..." Inuyasha cursed, sitting on the edge of the cliff above a straight drop down, and staring up at the moonless sky. "If he hadn't shown up, none of this would have happened..."  
  
"AHA! So, it DID bother you!" Kagome shouted from behind the boy.  
  
"GYAH!" Inuyasha yelped in surprise, nearly slipping and falling down the side of the cliff. Grabbing onto a rock, he kept himself from falling. Kagome helped pull him up. "What the hell--? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" He screamed.  
  
Kagome sighed. "Why'd I have to try and do that? You were doing a good enough job of getting yourself killed on your own back there."  
  
This, Kagome could tell, struck Inuyasha hard. Sweat rolled down his brow. "K-Keh. I was fine. Like my brother could REALLY kill me." He sat back down on the edge of the cliff and looked down at the forest below.  
  
Kagome sat down next to him and slowly turned his face towards her. "Inuyasha, you're not fooling anyone. You were worried, as were we all."  
  
"Eh?" Inuyasha's pupils shrunk at this unusual bluntness. He quickly turned his head away, folding his arms and grunting. "Hmph. I don't know what you're talking about. *I* wasn't worried for a second."  
  
Kagome sighed and looked up at the stars. "You know, when I saw Sesshoumaru stab you... my heart stopped for a second. Actually, it was more like a minute... I was just so scared that I really had lost you."  
  
Inuyasha was silent for a moment. He turned his head slightly back to her. "You... were really that worried?" he asked in a gentler, more concerned voice.  
  
"Of course," was her reply.  
  
"..." Inuyasha could think of nothing to say. He sat silently as a strong wind blew against his naked chest. He began to shiver.  
  
A tan coat dropped over him like a blanket. "Eh? What's this?"  
  
"It's my coat," explained Kagome. "I don't usually wear it, but I decided to bring it this time, anyway. You shouldn't be out here half naked like that. You'll catch a cold."  
  
Inuyasha held the coat tighter, replying reluctantly, "...Thanks."  
  
Suddenly his cheeks became as red as what remained of his robes as Kagome pulled herself under the other half of the coat and she cuddled up against him. "Errr... Kagome, isn't this just a bit close?"  
  
Kagome turned her head irritably to the boy. "Hey, I'm cold, too! Do you want me to freeze out here?" Inuyasha was a little shocked by her sudden anger, but she quickly calmed down and sighed, staring up at the sky. "Then again, it's pretty cold, but it's still a nice night. It's always nice to just watch the stars, you know? Even if it is cold, it makes you feel warm inside."  
  
Inuyasha looked up for a second. "Yeah, I guess." He turned his focus from the stars to Kagome. She turned and looked back at him in the eyes. He quickly turned away, blushing even worse.  
  
"Actually..." Inuyasha confessed, "I was... a little worried back there... I really did think I was going to die... when I landed in the stream, I couldn't breathe; my body was filled with so much pain and I couldn't gather the strength to get to the surface... But I was only worried a LITTLE."  
  
Kagome giggled. "Yeah, I know. You don't have to try and hide it. But you don't have to worry, Inuyasha. We all saved you back there... And you've saved me plenty of times. So, I'll repay the favor as many times as I need to. As long as I'm here, I'm not going to let you die, okay? No one will touch you; not Sesshoumaru, not Kagura, not Naraku..."  
  
Inuyasha smiled. "Thanks, Kagome." She leaned her head on his shoulder and he held her palm in his.  
  
He felt the warmth of her body against his and smiled a bit more. He looked up at the sky once more. "Kagome, you know..."  
  
Kagome's breathing became slower and deeper. "Kagome?" He rocked her a little bit. "She's asleep..."  
  
Inuyasha rested his head on her as well. "Well, as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you, either... We can always protect each other..."  
  
Inuyasha closed his eyes, falling asleep leaning against Kagome under the moonless sky.  
  
The End 


End file.
